Starlight
by ILuvKaoruxHikaru
Summary: A challenge from a new hero presents itself. Becoming a new member of the JL isn't easy, but it's well worth it. [This FF is based on the story-lines from Justice League The Animated Series (but not Unlimited).] It's BatmanxOCxFlash.
1. Chapter 1

_Little Star_

Somewhere deep inside the Colorado Desert, a band of superheroes known universally as the Justice League were requested to make an appearance if they wished to keep the world safe. That's all the message said that arrived at the Tower earlier today. There were seven of them, all ready to face whatever evil lurked around them. Who were they after today? The Joker? Perhaps Gorilla Grodd was up to no good again? Or god forbid it was Darkseid. Whoever it was, they prepared for the worst.

"Were we brought here for nothing?" wondered Superman who had taken to the skies and was checking around with the help of Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman.

"I definitely sense another presence here. Stay alert," J'onn, The Martian Manhunter said in his deep voice.

Flash was zipping around checking all crevices, when he spotted something, "Perhaps you're referring to the shady creature in the black cloak? Is he insane? It's hotter than Wonder Woman out here!"

The group all zeroed in on Flash's location and stood before a figure that wasn't very tall, but compared to the Justice League who had an average height of six feet it was understandable. Cloaked in black just like Wally had said, the figure stood with their face well hidden, "Seven, there are seven of you, and one of me." It said, "I'll make my request short. I would like to fight all of you."

They all took glances at one another confused, "Tell us who you are! What are your intentions?" called Clark.

"If I win… I become a member of The Justice League," the figure stated.

"How are we supposed to call someone a team member who doesn't even show their face? How are we supposed to trust someone like that? Dressed in all black, mysterious…" Hawkgirl protested.

"I'm sorry, are we talking about Black Cloak or Batman now?" wondered Flash.

"We already have seven members. We do not need another." spoke Clark.

"If Hawkgirl wants to see my face then," the cloak figure said, pulling back the hood and revealing themselves. Pulling a voice changer off of her face, a young girl who couldn't be more than in her early twenties stood before them. Tossing away her cloak, she had a thin build, hourglass figure, with long strawberry blonde hair that ran all the way down her back. Her eyes were glimmering emeralds, taking a chance to look at each one of them, "I only wore it so you would take me more seriously," her voice was normal now.

"It's a young girl," murmured Wonder Woman.

"Wow," Flash breathed.

"She's normal…" Superman crossed his arms with confusion clouding his expression, "What are you trying to pull? Who are you working for?"

"It's no trick. I really just wanted a try-out for the Justice League. I'm sorry for sounding the alarm, but I knew it would be the only way to get you all here at once." She explained.

Batman turned to Clark, "Let's take her up on her offer."

Everyone looked surprised, "Why?" asked Green Lantern.

"Because," Batman explained, "I'm curious."

"How do you suppose we do this? If we all attack her at once, we might kill the poor girl. She looks like just a ordinary human." Hawkgirl wondered.

"Looks can be deceiving," Bruce said in his sultry tone, "We will challenge you one on one," he said to the girl, "Select your opponent."

The girl already had her mind made up, "I select Batman."

"The guy without superpowers. I wonder why…" Clark said sarcastically.

Batman stepped up, "Are you ready?"

"Yes sir," she nodded.

Bruce decided to test the water with this girl. If she really was ordinary, he'd know within seconds, but something about her was different. She had a look in her eyes. A look of determination to prove herself. A look Bruce respected, despite her size, he knew better than to know it did not matter. He started her off with something simple: he threw a batarang at her. She didn't move, instead she waited for precisely the right moment, and grabbed it right out of thin air, crushing it in her grasp. Running toward him now, she threw a punch his way which he countered with ease. After several attempts she did a ground swipe with her leg, momentarily knocking Batman on his back. She took another swing at his face, but he dodged and was on his feet again. He kicked her, sending her spiraling back. Executing a flip mid-air she landed on her feet with ease.

She was breathing heavily through her nose, awaiting his next move. As he started to come toward her she revealed something in her palm. A smoke pellet? Sometime during one of her attempts to strike him she must have stolen it! She threw it down on the ground, causing a breath of smoke to envelop them. Bruce felt something grab his arm. His grappling hook? Quickly the rope coiled around his body, embolizing his arms. When the smoke cleared, he was standing there, staring back at the girl's green eyes, "You have me right where you want me, now what?" he asked.

"I've left you unable to fight, I consider that a win." She said, turning to the others, "Next?"

They were all staring at the girl blankly, unsure of what to do or which action to take.

"Your choice," replied Clark.

"Alright," she pointed her finger, "C'mon Scarlet Speedster!" she was pointing at The Flash.

"I'm not really into hitting girls," Wally said with doubt.

"Hitting on them however," John Stewart mumbled.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" asked Flash in a huff. He was in front of the girl in an instant.

She knew he was fast, but there was something else about Flash she also knew, "You ready?" she asked.

He nodded, balancing his weight so he could dodge a foreign batarang if she had managed to pocket that too.

With a grin, she lunged forward, placed both hands on his cheeks, and laid a kiss on his mouth that he wouldn't soon forget. Everyone looked at the two with shock. After a moment, she pushed back on his chest, and he was still completely lost in the moment, "Heh, wow…" Flash mumbled, still dazed.

The girl turned back to the rest, "That's two."

Superman sighed, "Who-?" he started to ask.

"Me," Hawkgirl decided, as she took to the air and reared back her mace, "I'm finishing this now!" as she went to lay a hit on the girl, she jumped back and dodged at the last second, "What are you going to do?" asked Hawkgirl, "If you can't reach me!"

That's when they saw it. Suddenly an impressive white light glowed in the girl's eyes. Putting her hands together, bawled up into fists, she shot a ray of white light at Hawkgirl, knocking her sideways, and losing the grip she had on her mace, "How did she?" she started to ask, when she was fired by another bolt of light that spiraled her into the ground.

"That's enough!" yelled Superman, coming forward, "It's unnecessary for you to face the others. I will be your final test and if you can bring me to my knees you will be an honorary member of the Justice League. Deal?"

The girl stared at Superman, "I told you I would face you all. If you wish to cut this short, I'll comply."

"You're a little bit too confident," Clark replied.

"If someone compensates with confidence here," she said, rising off of the ground, now staying afloat mid-air, "I think it's you."

They all stared at her dumbfounded. Where had this girl come from?

"She had this planned for a long time…" murmured Batman, now freed from his own gadget.

"What do you mean?" asked Green Lantern.

"She knew what order she wanted to encounter us in. She played this like a game of Poker. She didn't reveal her flush until we were all in, the chips were down, and she was ready to make her move." Batman explained, "She's intelligent. She made sure not to show us her entire hand in the first three battles. Now that she is in the air, and revealing such a trick, I can only assume she's going to put in all she's got against Superman."

"Won't she fail?" asked Wonder Woman.

"Unless she can produce Kryptonite… yes." Batman replied.

"I think more surprises await us from this little one." Martain Manhunter replied.

"What makes you so sure, J'onn?" asked Flash, focused once more.

"I can see inside her soul. It's beaming brightly. Batman is correct. She has been anticipating this for some time. If she fails today, I fear her fire will burn out. That's how much this means…" J'onn explained.

Superman grabbed a giant boulder to his right and threw it at her. She blasted through the rock with ease, but Superman was quickly following behind the boulder, and slammed into the girl, knocking her into the ground, which left an impression. She then rolled a couple times, and laid there for a minute. As she started to pick herself up, obviously shaken, Superman took his hand and pressed it on her back, forcing her back to the ground, "Please stay down. You are no match for me, and I do not wish to hurt you."

"There's that confidence again," she growled, still trying to fight against the force of Clark's hand.

Clark was here to prove a point. Holding up everything except his pinky he still managed to keep her down, "With good reason." He replied.

"No," she said, "It will be your downfall." She reached above her head and grabbed his arm. After some effort, she gained the strength to throw him! He tried to catch himself but was so dumbfounded by her strength he landed sort of oddly, and caught himself with one hand and one foot. His leg came down on his knee, "That's one knee…" she said, already coming after him with another attack. Her hand was glowing that mysterious radiant light again as she punched him as hard as she could in the face. His feet left a trail as he was forced back.

Superman's eyes glowed as he readied his heat vision, but it was stopped abruptly, by the dome of light she had enveloped herself in. Suddenly, Superman was blinded by the brightness, unaware that she had now enclosed him inside an orb of light and was rising him high in the air. Forcing the ball down, it hit the ground and burst like a miniature atom bomb. When the dust cleared, Superman stood there quietly. The blonde landed a couple feet in front of him and walked right passed him, staring at the others as Clark had no choice but to kneel down on his knees. The wind was knocked out of him and he was still seeing blotches of light from the containment he was trapped in before.

Everyone stared at her completely at a loss for words. She turned back to Clark, and walked over to him. Pulling his arm up over her shoulders she helped him to his feet, "Your vision will return soon…" she told him, then turned to the others, "Perhaps it's best you take him back to your headquarters. The effects shouldn't last longer than a day."

"So… did we just lose?" asked Flash.

"I believe we did," Batman replied.

"A deal is a deal," murmured Clark, "Welcome to the team…"

"No," She shook her head, "I do not wish to join the team this way after all. After bringing down their leader, you think they'll ever really accept me or trust me? I think I've done more damage here than good."

"No," Clark said, "You taught me, as well as the others a very valuable lesson today," He stood up straight, blinking his eyes, his sight returning to normal rather rapidly, "Never underestimate an opponent… or partner. You're just what we need on this team."

"We still don't know her name…" Hawkgirl chimed in.

"Chelsea," the girl corrected, "My name is Chelsea."

"She's even got a beautiful name," said Flash.

"Title?" asked Superman.

"Title?" Chelsea echoed.

"Superman," Clark pointed to himself, "Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Hawkgirl… and?"

Chelsea stared blankly, "I never came up with a title."

"You planned how to make us all look like a bunch of rookies and never once thought of a name for yourself?" asked Wally.

"Not really." She looked embarrassed.

"Little Star," J'onn commented, "That's what I see."

"Little Star, I like that." said Superman.

Chelsea looked at each one of them, "If you guys say so," she shrugged.

As they all headed back to The Tower in space, they started asking her questions to better get to know her, "So where are you from?" asked Flash.

The girl was reluctant to respond, "I'm from Gotham City." Everyone's eyes blinked toward Batman, then back to her, "I know, I'm from the same city as Batman." She said.

"So you choosing to fight Batman first was no coincidence," replied Wonder Woman.

"He's a hometown hero in my eyes. A lot of people look up to him." She said with a shy expression.

"Where do you live in Gotham?" wondered Bruce.

"I have my own apartment just outside of Gotham University. I got a scholarship there and am working toward a degree in art." she told them.

"That's really neat," commented Clark, "What kind of scholarship did you receive?"

"Well," she replied, "I actually received it from this program they had going on at my high school. It was called the WayneTech Scholarship. There's a pretty well-known man by the name of Bruce Wayne who's a billionaire big wig in Gotham. He's smart and a really cool guy, not to mention probably the most handsome man I've ever laid eyes on. He actually made an appearance at my high school to deliver the scholarship money personally. I shook his hand and everything."

"Sounds like a swell guy," said Clark with an underlining tone of sarcasm as his eyes darted to Batman.

Batman didn't say a word, but now he was staring at Chelsea. To the point where it took him awhile to take his eyes off of her. An art major? He remembered her suddenly. He happened to see her art displayed at some exhibit for young artists. It was rather breath-taking. They gave the scholarship a name, but really Bruce had requested Chelsea specifically to receive this sum of money. It had been nearly five years ago since that happened.

John Stewart stared down at his green ring, "How did you obtain your powers?" he didn't want to be the one to ask, but he knew the question was on everyone's mind.

Chelsea's expression fell a little, "Well, I ended up in the hospital my first year of college. After the week in there, I felt strange. When I was out one night some guy tried to mug me in an alley of Gotham…" she swallowed, "I was fighting for my life, and laid a hit on him that appeared to crush every bone in his face. He hit the ground, and when I looked at my hand, ready to find some broken fingers or blood, it was glowing."

"When did you learn you could fly?" asked Wonder Woman.

"I think I willed it one day." She tried to think back, "There was this awful fire in a building about a block down from my apartment building. This little boy had been blown out of his room and was hanging by a thread on the 10th floor. I panicked. I wanted so badly to help him, and as he started to fall, I heard a woman scream and when I opened my eyes I was there, cradling him in my arms, suspended in air." She was twisting her hair nervously, "Once I realized something was up I found this abandoned lot and started learning how to control my abilities so I wouldn't accidently hurt anyone. They started appearing when my emotions were escalated, but now I can will them basically whenever I want."

Batman sat up straight, "Let's back up a bit," his eyes pierced through hers like daggers, "This occurred after a hospital visit? Do you think someone did something to you?"

"What were you in the hospital for?" asked Flash, concerned.

The girl stared blankly in front of her, "Pulmonary embolism."

Only Batman really knew what that meant, "How many?"

"Two clots… one in each lung… one bigger than the other," She explained.

"Woah!" Flash was shocked.

"But you're so young," John Stewart murmured.

Batman sat back and analyzed the situation the same as he always did, quietly and with focus. Who targeted her? Was it someone still running around Gotham trying to create superheroes? Something wasn't right here, and this girl just happened to be victim to the circumstances.

When they arrived at headquarters, the each took turns getting out of aircraft, "Well Chelsea, this is home sweet home… or I guess your home away from home." grinned Clark.

"I could show you around?" offered Wally.

Chelsea smiled at him, "I'd like that."

The two walked side by side as they left the landing bay and went into the main room which had many monitors in it and a station to sit at.

The other's stood around in semi-circle, still in the landing bay, "What're you thinking Bats?" asked Clark.

"I'm not sure," Batman replied, "I believe her, but I worry some rogue doctor might be loose in Gotham experimenting on subjects that are set to expire anyway."

Green Lantern bit his cheek, "Don't you think if something was going on we'd know about it by now? Consider the time line. This happen to this girl, what? About four years ago almost right? Don't you think we'd have heard about other cases?"

"Not necessarily," Batman said, crossing his arms.

"Why so confident?" asked Clark.

"Because," Batman said, turning to walk away, "we're just now hearing about her."

Everyone really hated when Batman was right. Perhaps something was going on in Gotham.

"And this is the kitchen," Flash opened the swinging door, "that not many use because none of us really know how to cook and we don't want to start a fire." He zipped to the room across the hall, "this is our rec room. There's exercise equipment in there as well as some hoops for basketball and such…"

Chelsea was smiling to herself.

"Do you have any questions or concerns yet so far?" he said in a joking tone.

"No, but…" she tilted her head, "I really wanted to thank you for being so kind to me. The others seem… put off by me being here. You're the first person to really welcome me, and I'm just really appreciative."

He waved his hand, "Hey, no prob. The others will get better. They can be a tough bunch, but it's their job." He shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

Chelsea looked down at the floor, hoping Flash was right, "Well, at the very least I can apologize for our first encounter and correct it," she held out her hand, "My name is Chelsea."

He smirked, "The Flash, fastest man alive and all that," He jokingly showed off, then took her hand in his, "But please, call me Wally." He gave her a grin, "but just so you know, you have nothing to correct. You're a great kisser."

"Oh yeah?" she joked, "You should probably add great kisser to your resume as well," she winked, and started walking again, "Shall we continue?"

"I'm confused now. Are we talking about the kiss?" he asked.

She laughed at him, and grabbed for his hand to motion him forward, "Come on."

He felt himself smiling to the point where it was just a reflex, "So if you come down this hall…"


	2. Chapter 2

_Little Star_

_Part 2_

The others were all in the main room. Martian Manhunter was sitting at the monitors checking to make sure there weren't any red alerts. The others, minus Batman, Flash, and Chelsea, were sitting around a table, having casual conversation.

Chelsea and Flash walked in, causing everyone's attention to be directed toward them, because the two were laughing with each other, "What's so funny?" asked Clark.

Flash shook his head, "It was one of those, you had to be there situations."

Chelsea scanned the room, "Where's Batman?"

Green Lantern smirked at her question, "Get used to that feeling. Batman tends to come and go as he pleases."

Chelsea was disappointed to hear that. She would have really enjoyed having some time to speak with him. She did notice when her and Wally covered the hall with everyone's individual rooms that Batman didn't have a name plate. Perhaps she wasn't the only outsider in this group after all. She had been a fan of Batman for a long time, and while it sounded really nerdy, just to be in the same room as him felt like a dream.

"Get a feel for the place?" asked Wonder Woman.

"I think so," she replied, "When do I become cool enough to have a room?"

"I'm just sayin', that this isn't college, and you can totally bunk with me," Flash said to her.

"Don't mind him, he's always like that." Hawkgirl told her.

"Nah, I don't mind. Wally's a sweetheart." Chelsea was the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. It was honorable to know that no matter what you asked her she'd always be the one to tell you how she truly felt.

Hawkgirl's expression went sour, "I wouldn't encourage him if I were you."

"Harsh," Flash said, taking a seat.

"We'll get you a key to your own room soon," Clark told her, "Do you have any questions?"

"Uh," Chelsea thought about it, "Well, would you mind if I used the kitchen from time to time? Wally warned me you all are fire hazards and I'm actually not too bad of a cook."

"I don't see a problem with that." Clark raised one of his shoulders, "Anything else?" he found it kind of humorous that, that is what she chose to ask about.

"Nothing I can think of on the spot," she told him.

"Can we ask you some more questions?" asked Wonder Woman.

"Sure," replied Chelsea.

"Maybe we should lay off the twenty questions game for now." said Wally.

"I'm just trying to get to know her," said Wonder Woman, scrunching her eyebrows.

"How about we teach you how to fly one of the League crafts so you can travel to and from here without complication?" Clark offered.

"Okay," Chelsea looked sort of nervous, "Wally are you-?"

"He's a terrible driver…" John Stewart cut her off before she could ask.

"John here is actually our best pilot. I'll have him take you out and show you the ropes." Clark said.

"Come along little lady," winked Green Lantern, guiding her back out to the landing bay.

Everyone's eyes turned to Flash once they exited the room, "What?" asked Flash.

"Looks like you got yourself a new pet," Hawkgirl said, leaning toward him.

"She seems to have taken a liking to you Wally." Wonder Woman noted.

"Aww c'mon guys it's not like that," Flash said, standing up, "She's very intimidated by everyone here. You guys aren't treating her like a friend, you're zeroing in on her and acting like she's some exhibit you can point and ask questions about."

"I think we've been rather welcoming," Clark disagreed.

"What are we supposed to do? Invite her to sit down and pretend we're long time friends? We just met her. It's going to take time. Trust, takes time." Hawkgirl explained.

"Well I for one think you guys are being a little too invasive for her first day. If you'd look past the fact that she's new, and just treat her like a person, she's really fun and sweet." Wally defended.

"No offense Wally, but you like any girl who doesn't move too fast and let's be honest, none of them are too fast for you." Hawkgirl joked dryly.

"Wow," Wally breathed.

"What?" asked Hawkgirl.

"It's a typical female thing. You girls always get so intimidated when you feel like your territory is being invaded." Flash said, pressing his palms on the table.

"Woah, hold on." protested Wonder Woman, "I am genuinely trying to get to know her, but I'm also with Hawkgirl, it takes time. Perhaps you just happened to be the lucky one she put her trust into."

Clark rubbed his temples, "Wally, they're right."

Wally frowned, "If she chose to put her trust in me, I'm going to honor that. She's a good person, and I'll treat her with the same respect she's shown me. She hasn't done anything to any of you guys… well she did flip you, and she blasted you a couple times, but" he was referring to Superman and Hawkgirl, "I'm going to be what she needs right now, which is a friend. Maybe you all will grow up and do the same, because I don't know if you noticed: We have a new member of the Justice League." And like that, Wally left the room out of the same door he came, this time, not as happy.

Clark thought quietly to himself.

"What're you thinking, Superman?" asked Wonder Woman.

"I worry that Wally's little crush might become an issue." Clark confessed.

"What do you mean?" Dianna wondered.

"I don't want to have to be putting out fires all the time over silly arguments and disagreements." Clark explained.

"I think we're all just tired," Hawkgirl said, "I think I'll turn in for the night."

Chelsea had returned with John sometime later. They had stopped down on Earth so she could grab some clothes to bring back and store at The Tower. She left a vast majority of her stuff at her apartment, not willing to let it go. She wanted to make sure she still had a means to escape to someplace familiar. When they returned, only J'onn remained in the monitor room, "I'm going to go rest up," said John, "There's a spare bedroom at the end of the right wing. You can sleep there if you like."

"Thanks John, and thank you for showing me the basics of flying." She smiled.

"You're alright, girl." He said, patting her head.

After he left, Chelsea lounged on one of the armchairs that were stationed in a separate seating area than the one the others were sitting at before.

"How are you adapting to your new environment?" asked J'onn out of the silence.

His voice was so gentle and yet so sad. Chelsea took note of that even though she had already grown so accustomed to his silence, he still managed to startle her, "I think it's going alright."

He swiveled the chair to look toward her. He was up on an elevated platform, which with his size seemed unnecessary, "You sound like you have doubts."

Chelsea hugged her knees and sighed, "Don't get me wrong, you are all very nice people, but I feel like I'm having a hard time finding where I fit. Like you are all a seven piece puzzle and we're trying to wedge me somewhere that doesn't exist."

J'onn grew quiet, trying to figure out how to console the girl, "We are all our own separate puzzles. None of us fit together," he said to her, standing up, allowing his cape to completely cover the rest of his green body, "but we all play important roles. These people, they are like a second family to me… I hope that soon you will feel that way as well."

She stood up and came up to his elevated section, then leaned against a piece of equipment, "I just can't help, but worry I'll do more harm than good…"

"There is a reason you are here, Little Star." He said, using the name he gave her, "Superman was correct when he said we all have something to learn from you. You'll be just fine, I assure you."

Chelsea felt herself start to tear up, and then reached out and hugged J'onn, "Thank you, J'onn… it's nice to hear that."

He looked at her with a bit of shock, but his composure returned as he placed a gentle hand on her head, "Perhaps it would be best if you got some rest."

She let go, realizing she looked like a midget compared to his large, strong form, "If you don't mind, I'd like to sit here and read a while. Can I stay in here? Keep you company?"

"Of course," said J'onn, returning to his chair and typing something into the computer.

At some point Chelsea must of nodded off, and when she woke up, her back was stiff as a board. She looked over to see J'onn still sitting at the monitor, "I'm surprised you're still awake…" she said. No answer. When she walked up to him, he didn't budge. She looked him in the eyes, but there was no response.

"I know it's weird, but that's how he sleeps." said a familiar voice.

She turned to the door to see Flash leaning against a column in the middle of the room.

"Why are you still up?" she asked him, coming back down to the main level. She was actually really happy to see him.

"I never went to sleep," he admitted, "Did you get any shut eye?"

"Some, but I fell asleep in that chair and it wrecked my back," she sighed, "If you want I'll play Horse with you or something."

"Do you like sports?" He wondered, starting to walk with her to the rec room now.

"Yeah," she admitted, "I love football. Go Gotham Knights!" She jokingly cheered, "I'm also a fan of Hockey and take in a futball game when I can catch it on television."

"That's cool. I've never met a girl into sports before." He grinned. He stopped abruptly when he saw Hawkgirl in their way, "Hey, what're you doing up?"

She revealed her mace.

"You can't be still angry about before…" Flash whined.

"Something's wrong," Chelsea's intuition was kicking in, "her eyes are lifeless."

Hawkgirl charged them, swinging her mace wildly. The two managed to dodge to separate sides of her, "Run!" Flash instructed, coming around to pick her up and take off. He darted around a couple corners, "I don't get it. What's wrong with her?"

That's when they heard the sound of a wall being forced in. Chelsea looked over Flash's shoulder to see Superman, eyes glowing red, and his fist making an impression in the wall.

"Crap," mumbled Wally, setting Chelsea on her feet, "You need to get to J'onn. Do whatever you can to wake him up… I'll keep these guys busy."

Chelsea looked at him worried, "But Wally…"

"I can dodge their blows all day Chels… go." He instructed, taking off toward Superman, and doing a quick spin around him, before taking off again. Superman followed him.

Chelsea started to fly off in the opposite direction, trying to figure out the fastest route to the main room. That's when she felt a tug on her foot. When she looked down at it, it looked like a rope had been lassoed around it. That's when she got pulled down to the ground. Flipping onto her back, Chelsea stared up at Wonder Woman who also had the same lifeless eyes.

Chelsea tried to untie herself, when Wonder Woman tried to punch her in the face. Chelsea just barely evaded the blow, and looked back to see the impression left in the floor, "Wonder Woman it's me!" she cried, reaching back down to try to untie herself.

That's when she saw a green light, glowing behind her. Not John too! She quickly darted between Wonder Woman's legs and let the zombie-like Green Lantern blast Wonder Woman. This made Wonder Woman release her lasso and the moment Chelsea felt free she took off in the other direction. She was just making random right and left turns, until she reached a dead end. She heard someone coming so she just darted into a room and collapsed against the door, covering her mouth. Wonder Woman walked by the door and peeked into the window, but was satisfied that the girl hadn't gone this way and turned around.

When Chelsea looked up she saw a very small room with another door attached at the other end. When she walked up to the door, she felt a hand come around from behind her and clasp over her mouth. She was about to scream when she heard a hushing sound in her ear. When she settled, the hand let go, and she turned to see the silhouette of Batman in the dimly lit room, "Batman…" she whispered.

"What's going on?" he asked, "No one answered on the communications systems and when I tried to get in through the main entrance the landing bay was locked off."  
"I don't know," Chelsea said, shaking, "Everyone went to sleep, and then when I woke up me and Flash were wide awake and when we went to go to the rec room we were attacked by Hawkgirl, Superman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman. They look possessed," she trailed off remembering that Flash claimed to have never fallen asleep, "They all went off to bed. Something must have happened to them when they fell asleep."

A blast blew through the door behind them, as Superman stood there, eyes still red, "X-ray vision… right…" Chelsea mumbled.

"Where's J'onn?" asked Batman.

"If my theory is right, then he's probably possessed too." She admitted.

"J'onn doesn't fall victim to mind control easily." Batman said, grabbing her and pulling her tightly behind him. Superman let loose a blast of heat vision only for Chelsea to cloak herself and Batman in an orb of protection.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked him.

"Not yet…" murmured Batman. He held his hand up to his ear, "Flash… Wally are you there?"

"Bats!" Flash sighed, "Thank God it's actually you."

"Where are you?" Batman asked.

"I'm currently having my lunch money stolen by GL and Hawkgirl." He responded.

Batman stayed quiet. If he was joking around, he was probably okay, but there was a missing variable in that equation. That's when the missing variable stepped in the room… Wonder Woman.

Chelsea lowered her force field, and stepped in front of Batman, "I can keep them distracted. Do you think you can get to J'onn?"

"I'm not leaving you," Batman said, readying a smoke pellet between his fingertips. He was still taken off guard she had stepped up and decided to take the situation in her own hands.

"Friends," Batman heard the voice of J'onn over the communicator, "I apologize for my absence, but I believe I fell into a slumber."

"Man how I've missed your voice J'onn," said Flash relieved over the radio.

Batman threw down the smoke pellet, and grabbed Chelsea's hand. With Superman destroying the door, he was able to pull out his grappling hook and take hold of some of the pipes above their heads to swing over the attacking League members. Retracting the device, he never let go of the girl's hand, and took off running, "J'onn, can you regain control of the computer systems?"

"They're reading offline," J'onn replied, trying to crack whatever hold was on their systems.

Chelsea kept blocking blows made by Superman's heat vision with her force field to protect them.

Batman heard Wally groan like he had been hit, "Wally!" he growled.

"This is getting out of hand Bats," Wally said weakly, "I'm running out of stamina."

"If you have to run away do it," Batman instructed, "but do not, I repeat, do not by any means lose consciousness. You hear me?"

"Not that, that was my master plan," Wally stated, as he followed Batman's instructions by running away, "but what's wrong with losing consciousness?"

"There's something that has caused everyone, with the exception of J'onn, who fell asleep to be unresponsive. I have a feeling if you pass out or faint it will happen to you as well." Batman explained.

"But… Chelsea nodded off as well." Flash said, as he suddenly came around the corner and ran right into his two sane friends.

When they collided, all of them hit the floor. With Superman and Wonder Woman behind them, and now Green Lantern and Hawkgirl in front, they all stood up and formed a triangle back to back to watch from all sides.

"I'll come and assist you," said J'onn watching the horror on one of the monitors.

"No," growled Batman, "you have to stay there and get our communications back online. I think it's a frequency the monitors are radiating. Something that can only affect the unconscious."

"But what about Chelsea…" Flash still wondered.

"Whoever made this program had an IP number for each member of the Justice League, but they didn't get the memo we got a new member. I think if you and I are knocked unconscious, we will end up just like the others, but Chelsea will remain normal." Batman analyzed.

"So, we got a plan?" Flash said, staring at the unfriendly end of Hawkgirl's mace.

Chelsea grabbed onto each of their shoulders and enclosed them in a protective field, "We need to clear a path…"

"I think unless one of us serves as a distraction, we'll never punch through…" Flash said.

"Then let me do it," Chelsea's voice cracked, "I'll play around with these four and you two get to the control room. Shut the systems down if you have to!"

"You against all four of them?" asked Wally.

"I have to," she said, "if we don't do something, soon it'll be six against one… I want to keep you two safe."

Batman's scowl remained unchanged as he sighed, "We don't have a choice Wally. If she thinks she can create an opening, we have to get to J'onn. I have a communications disruptor in my belt, but I need to access the motherboard for it to work."

"Let me take it then. I can get there in no time," Wally said, "You stay with her."

"The doors are sealed shut to the main room. If we have any hope of getting in there you'll need my assistance." Batman retorted.

Chelsea sighed, expanding her force field outward and forcing the zombified members back, she pushed Batman and Flash forward, "Go!" she screamed.

Batman took advantage of the opening given and looked over his shoulder, "Wally! Now!"

Flash was reluctant to move for the first time in his life.

"The sooner this gets over with the sooner I can kick you butt at a game of Horse," she joked to him, "Let's get this done."

He smiled, "I hold you to it Star," that said he took off.

Green Lantern and Hawkgirl started to take off after them but was stopped abruptly as they were blasted by a couple bolts of light. Superman and Wonder Woman tried to land some blows, but she dodged, flipped Superman with her legs and then hit Wonder Woman with another blast. She just kept switching from one person to the next in a cycle. Taking note of each person to make sure one wouldn't try to slip away and go after Flash and Batman.

"Will she be alright?" Flash asked into the open air.

Batman didn't answer, but internally he hoped for her safety. Pulling out a device from his belt he started to try to break the passcode that replaced the original one on the door.

"I can't help but wonder if she's handling it back there…" Wally said, staring back in the direction they left Chelsea.

"I need you to focus," Batman barked, starting to get irritated, "You need to have more faith in her. I know she'll be fine."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Wally.

Batman's fingers never stopped moving from the triggers on his device he was swirling back and forth to gain access. J'onn was right on the other side of this door, "Remember what J'onn said?" He asked, "She had been preparing to fight us for a long time. She knows the in's and out's of this group. I have a feeling if she wanted to she could take us all down with minimal difficulty."

The access pad changed to blue and the door slid open. Racing into the room, Batman revealed his communications disruptor. Opening up the main frame of the computer he stuck it on the panel. Sparks flew from the device, and suddenly all of the computers shut down. When that happened, all of the zombified members collapsed.

Chelsea was breathing heavy, and had some blood running down her face. It was bleeding profusely, and she closed her eyes to stop the blurred vision. She leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, still breathing heavily. All at once, things went black.

When she woke up next she was in a bed. The members of the Justice League were all around her bed, looking relieved to see her awake, "Our hero is awake." Clark said.

"My head…" she said, rubbing it.

"We should let her get her rest," Wonder Woman said.

"Did we ever figure out who bugged the computers?" Chelsea asked with concern.

"I am currently sorting out that issue," J'onn replied, "but you have done your part. It is best you rest now."

While they filed out of the room, Flash didn't move, "Are you coming Wally?" asked Dianna.

"Yeah," he replied with hesitation, "just so you know… I'll be the first one to volunteer to give you mouth to mouth resuscitation."

Chelsea smiled at him, "I bet."

He gave her hand a squeeze and left without another word.

Chelsea took a deep breath and looked out the window to see the Earth. It was so big from up here. The door slid open again. Chelsea was surprised to see it was Batman, of all people. He came to her bedside quietly, "Hey…" she said.

"I didn't put it together until later on," Batman said, "You take a medication once a day… I'm assuming Warfarin?" he asked.

Her eyebrows scrunched, "Why do you ask?"

"Usually after someone falls victim to blood clots they have to be put on thinners so they do not clot again… your head produced entirely too much blood, even for a head wound." He spoke with his usual sultry tone.

She grew quiet, "I take five milligrams a day…" she confessed.

"If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to take sample from your medication and confirm a few things." Batman requested.

"Sure, but why?" she asked.

"I want to find the people who did this to you five years ago. If there are more people like you out there, we need to prepare for it." He replied.

"You seem worried..." she asked.

"Not everyone who would be gifted like you have been, would be kind enough to lend their powers toward justice and doing what's right." Batman said.


	3. Chapter 3

_Shots Fired_

_Part 1_

After getting some rest, Chelsea stirred the next day from her restoration cot and stretched. Her head was still sore, but it wasn't something a little Tylenol wouldn't fix. She looked to the floor and saw someone had brought her bag in. Grabbing it, she sifted through to find her medicine bottle and took a couple Tylenol to help ease the pain. Noticing the Warfarin tablets had reminded her to collect one for Batman so he could do whatever he pleased with it.

As she made the walk down the hallways, all seemed quiet and calm. It was so quiet the sound of her growling stomach echoed off of the walls. When she went into the kitchen, it was so clean and well kept. It looked like it had never been touched. Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she went to check the time only for it to occur to her that she wouldn't have service in space. She looked around for a clock on the wall. It said 9AM, but she wasn't sure how accurate it was.

"Chelsea," a familiar sultry tone sounded from behind her. When she turned around, Batman was standing before her. He quickly reached out for her phone, took it, and smashed it with his boot.

Her jaw hung open with astonishment, "What did I do to deserve that?"

He tucked some hair back behind her ear and placed a radio device next to her eardrum, "It's dangerous for you to communicate on anything other than that radio. That line cannot be traced or tapped."

She stared at the broken pieces on the floor that were once her phone, "Thanks… I guess?" He started to head for the door without another word, "Wait!" she said, taking the sample pill he wanted from her out of her pocket, and placing it in his palm. He stared at the tablet quietly and then slipped into one of his belt pockets, "Why don't you stick around for a bit?" she asked.

He stared at her with those deep blue eyes, but didn't say a word for a time. His stare was chilling, but Chelsea frowned instead of shivered. She had never seen such sad eyes in her entire life, "What for?"

"I'll make you the best breakfast you've ever had," she said, "mark my words."

"I'll pass," he murmured, starting for the door again.

"Oh come on! You owe me!" she protested.

"And you came to that conclusion, how?" he asked.

She held up what once used to be her phone, now a dilapidated piece of rubble.

He exhaled deeply through his nose, as his eyes turned to the bar stool.

"Even the greatest detective in the world has to get hungry once and awhile, right?" she wondered.

He took a seat at the island counter in the center of the kitchen. He laced his fingers together and waited quietly, but Chelsea didn't mind, as she started scanning the cabinets for locations of items. Who else could say they were making breakfast for Batman and the rest of the Justice League? She felt sort of honored. As she started cracking eggs in a skillet, Batman opened his mouth to speak, "I'm sorry."

She wasn't sure where the sudden apology came from, "It's an old phone anyway. Don't worry about it."

"About that night in the alleyway. If it were under any other circumstances, you might have died. I should have been there." Batman explained.

Chelsea paused and turned to him. Reaching out to him from across the counter she placed a hand on his, "Bad things happen, Batman. I don't hold a grudge against you. It's not your job to-" She caught herself as his stare met hers, "Well, what I mean to say is… you can't be everywhere." She thought back on that night, "The next day, I remember the news… you had stopped Two-Face from seizing control over a bank and taking the lives of the innocent security guards there. I remember he shot a guy and if you hadn't arrived it would have been too late for him. I believe that fate puts us where we're most needed."

Batman's stare never shifted, as he started to open his mouth the door opened and Flash wandered in, "Hey!" he greeted.

"Hey Wally," Chelsea smiled, turning back to her cooking, "have a seat. I'm making breakfast for everyone."

Wally's eyes flashed to Bruce's, who was already staring at him. It occurred to Flash it was strange for Batman to still be hanging around, "Making food for seven other people sounds kind of rough doing it by yourself. You need some help?" he asked.

"Nah, I got it," she assured.

Wally took a seat by Batman and watched the girl work. She started doing four different things at once and was miraculously good at it. As time went by, she asked for Wally to round up the rest of the league and have them come get their fresh meal. When everyone filed it, they looked shocked by the amount of food that was spread across the counter. She went all out. Even went as far as scrambling two dozen eggs to ensure Wally got enough to compensate for his metabolism.

Batman was the first to finish his plate and started to put it in the sink when Chelsea took the plate from him and started to wash it, "You didn't eat anything…" he murmured.

She shrugged, "I knew I was taking a risk since I didn't know how much everyone would eat, but it's not a big deal. I'll make myself something else."

Bruce couldn't take his eyes off of her as she started cleaning the dirty dishes. He saw a nurturing nature he had never seen in anyone else before. Almost like a mother tending to her children, but she looked so satisfied. Like she wasn't the least bit disappointed after all of her hard-work she didn't even get to have any. And now she was even doing the dishes? She certain wasn't your average twenty-two year old.

A hand came from above her head and swiped the plate that was in her hand, "Ah ah ah," Wally protested, "I can bust these bad boys out in no time. You should sit and relax for a change."

"It was delicious Chelsea," Wonder Woman complimented.

"I haven't had such a good meal in ages," agreed Clark.

"Don't worry about it guys. I'm just trying to help." Chelsea said, taking a seat where Batman once sat.

Batman lingered beside the sink, "Make sure she eats something…" he told Wally.

Wally paused, "What? She didn't eat?"

Batman's jaw straightened, "She didn't get to." After that brief exchange, Batman started for the door.

"Going so soon Batman?" Clark asked.

Batman didn't respond.

"If we don't see you," Chelsea started, "I hope you have a good day."

Batman stopped at the door, his hand on the panel. Turning back to look at her he gave her a look that she understood all too well with just one glance. It was a grateful look, without changing his expression at all. One he was not willing to share with anyone else. He was thankful she spent her time making him a meal. Quickly he exited the room.

"He seems to like you a lot," Wonder Woman noticed.

"Me?" she asked.

"He's not one to stick around for anything other than business." Clark told her.

"Bats doesn't exactly play well with others…" Flash explained.

Clark's face fell, "Go easy on the guy… he lost his parents when he was very young. They were killed by a gunman."

Chelsea stood up quietly after hearing that. She had no idea. She walked out of the kitchen and leaned against the wall outside in the hallway. For some reason, she couldn't help but start to cry. It was almost instantaneous. Without even realizing it, she was brought to tears. Mourning a loss that had occurred probably before she was even born, but this was different. This was the explanation for a hero that has made the only home she's ever known safer. He was always so busy looking out for everyone else, but did anyone ever have his back?

She covered her mouth, and slid down to the floor, silently sobbing to herself. Those sad eyes. She couldn't stop picturing those sad eyes stare right down into her very soul.

"Hey Chels," Flash spoke with enthusiasm, but it quickly faded when he saw her tears, "Woah, what's wrong? Does your head hurt or something?" her eyes were reddened with sadness. It startled something in him. Kneeling down in front of her, he stared at her waiting for a response.

She shook her head and wiped her tears away, "It's nothing…" she really didn't know how to explain exactly what came over her.

Flash tried to cheer her up with a smile, "C'mon, I know you didn't get anything to eat. I make a great PB and J." he said nudging her with his elbow.

She laughed and managed a smile, "Alright, but afterwards, you still owe me that game of Horse."

He helped her to her feet and led her back into the kitchen. Each member of the Justice League took mental notes. Whether they were about Chelsea's sudden puffy eyes or Wally's reaction to quickly come to her aid was unclear.

After Chelsea ate, the two went off to compete in their game of horse. Chelsea was surprisingly pretty good even if Flash was over a half a foot taller than her. She sunk the last basket and turned to him with a smile, "Hold on, best three out of five?" he asked.

"You already said two out of three," she grinned.

"I lied," he joked.

Chelsea checked the wall clock, "I was actually going to head down to Earth and do some grocery shopping." She told him.

"Oh," he replied, "alright." He set the basketballs back on the ball rack.

"You wanna come with?" she asked.

"Sure," he smiled, "I'm sure I could cut your time by half if you want."

"Do you know the floor plan of the store I'm going to?" she said tilting her head sarcastically.

"Wouldn't take me long to figure it out." He winked.

Chelsea took the time to gather everybody and have them write down a couple things they wanted. Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter didn't know much about Human cousine so they just stood and watched, "You're not our maid, you know?" asked Clark.

"I know, but someone has to cook around here…" Chelsea replied, "be back later. If you need anything, holler. Batman got me an earpiece so I'm caught up to speed."

"Going with her Wally?" asked Wonder Woman.

"She's shopping enough for two families. Someone should help her." Flash noted, and before he could hear anymore he was out the door with Chelsea.

Chelsea actually wasn't a bad flyer. Very cautious, but she didn't hurt anything so that was a positive note. Flash on the other hand had never been taught how to fly one of their ships. Perhaps the other members worried what he'd do with that kind of power, like go pick up chicks with it or something.

When they arrived at the store Chelsea grabbed a cart and started on one end of the store, "I could take a quick look around for you if you want."

Chelsea smiled at him quietly.

"What?" he asked curiously.

She kept walking, "Have you ever watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Wally?" she asked.

"Of course I have, but why?" it was such an odd question.

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once and awhile… you could miss it." she winked at him.

He stared at her sort of shocked. No one had ever put it to him like that before. He was so used to his speed being a good thing, but when she put it like that, "Have it your way then…" he shrugged it off, trying not to overthink it, because when he did that he usually ended up with a headache.

Suddenly, things grew serious when the two heard a gunshot go off at the front of the store. The two looked at each other, "Ever seen Top Gun?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"I feel the need for speed," he replied, zipping off to the edge of the aisle they were standing in to take a peek around to the front of the store, since they hadn't made it too far in before something bad happened.

Chelsea came up behind him, "What do you see?"

"It's a young kid…" Flash whispered, "but… it's strange… I don't see a gun anywhere."

"What should we do?" she asked.

"I can get to him and get him on the floor before he can react. Once I do, check on all of the cashiers. Make sure they're safe." He instructed, then zipped off and had the kid pinned to the floor before he realized what hit him. The kid couldn't have been more than sixteen, "Let me go!"

Chelsea hovered above the six cash registers that were lined up. Everyone looked to be okay, just incredibly freaked out. In a Gotham City market, not many people were used to the superpower thing. She landed in front of Flash, "I'll call the police," she told him, and started to turn away when she was staring at the barrel of a revolver. She looked up at the gunman's eyes to see another boy, probably a little older than the other, staring at her.

"I'm sorry, what did you say you would do now?" he wondered sarcastically.

Chelsea held up her hands and Wally was now in a tight spot. He could try to get to this other teenager, but he took a chance on the gun going off and hurting one of the cashiers or Chelsea, "What do you want kid?" asked Flash.

"Give me my kid brother back…" he grabbed Chelsea by her hair and held her there, "or I shoot her."

"This is hardly an even trade, for you." Flash always had something to say as he tossed the boy in his direction.

The gunman continued to hold onto Chelsea, "Perhaps I'll just keep her then."

Chelsea elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to release her head, in one quick motion she grabbed for the gun, and pulled it from his grasp before he could comprehend what had just occurred. She now stood beside Flash, with the gun at her side, "That's enough fun for one afternoon." she told them.

The younger boy made a gun gesture with his hand and pointed it at one of the cashiers, "Bang…" he murmured, and instantly the woman doubled over, blood spraying from her body.

Chelsea and Flash were at a loss. That's when Chelsea realized the older brother was just a distraction all along. The younger boy had some sort of shooting ability and the real gun was just to mask the fact. She wondered if the revolver was even loaded.

"What're you going to do now?" asked the younger brother.

That was a good question, "Wally," she whispered.

Suddenly one of the ceiling tiles fell and smoke poured into the building. When that happened, the boys shot a window and jumped out, making their escape. When the smoke cleared, there was Batman. He looked to Chelsea, "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Fine, but we need to get this lady medical attention right now," she told him, kneeling down to the floor to check for a pulse, and applying pressure to the wound that was in her right shoulder. She reflected on it's location. The right shoulder? If that boy was shooting to kill, surely he would have aimed for her left. She was at point-blank range. Even someone who had never fired a gun before, like herself, would have probably been able to vitally wound this woman.

"I'm fine too by the way, Bats." Wally interjected.

Batman heard the police pull up, "C'mon," he told the two. When the police walked in, all three heroes were gone. They got the injured woman into an ambulance. Batman, Chelsea, and Flash watched from the roof of the grocery store, "What happened?" asked Batman.

"One of the kids had some strange power. His hand fired like a gun." Flash explained.

"Something's not right though," Chelsea spoke, holding her hand up like a gun to Wally.

"Woah, Chels!" he said, with his hands up in a defensive stance.

Chelsea looked to Batman, "The boy was about the same distance as I am from Flash." She acted like she fired, "I mean, a blind man could make that shot." Batman watched her, understanding her point instantly.

"He never intended on killing her…" Batman said.

"I think so too," she told him, "These kids aren't ready to kill anybody. Something's just not right. Regardless," Chelsea started to reach for her ear to radio the others, "I think we should form a search party and find them. They couldn't have gotten too far."

Batman grabbed her hand, "No," he barked.

"Chill, Bats. What's the problem?" asked Wally.

"I do not want the entire Justice League flying around Gotham." He told them sternly, "We find them. We turn them in. That's it."

"But-?" Flash started to wonder.

Chelsea glanced at Wally, "Alright." She knew why Batman didn't want the extra hands. She was even willing to bet that if it came down to it, he'd rather face this challenge alone. He felt like these were his streets to protect. The others would just stand in the way of that, along with his pride.

"Did I miss something only Gotham residents understand?" asked Flash impatiently.

"Let's get moving," Batman said, pointing his grappling hook toward a nearby building.


	4. Chapter 4

_Shots Fired_

_Part 2_

"So how are we going to begin to track those two?" Flash asked, as the three of them stood on a building in the middle of the city.

"The gas I filled the store with left trace amounts of a compound on their bodies. I'm already tracking their whereabouts…" Batman informed, peering at a device he held in his hands.

Chelsea watched them in silence. A small smile appearing on her face. Batman was so brilliant. It was so hard for her to not be freaking out on the inside from the excitement of watching him work.

Batman's jaw straightened when the device started blinking, "They're near Gotham West High School…"

"Why there I wonder?" asked Flash.

"People always go where they're least expected to be. Did you ever go to school willingly?" Chelsea asked Wally.

"Well, no…" Wally said, stroking his chin in thought.

Chelsea looked over to see Batman had vanished.

"I hate it when he does that…" Wally murmured, "Do you know the way?"

Chelsea nodded, and floated up in the air. She flashed a smirk his way, "Try to keep up, Wally." With that she took off. She got there within about five minutes. When she landed, she looked around to see that Flash was nowhere to be found.

"Looking for someone?" he asked, suddenly in front of her.

She shook her head, "I'm not even sure where to start. At least school isn't in session. I wonder if they're inside somehow…" Chelsea wondered if these kids were victims of the same thing she had gone through. Perhaps they were an example of the kind of people Batman was referring to.

"I already checked the perimeter. No luck," shrugged Flash.

"So they are inside then," she sighed. Coming up to the front door she looked discouraged, "it's not like this is going to be-" she pulled open the door, "-unlocked…"

"That's convenient…" Flash commented.

"No, it's Batman." Chelsea confirmed. He would unlock the door for them, even if he decided that wasn't the way he was going to enter. As they walked in, the lighting was dim and there wasn't much light to help them see. Chelsea held up her hand and lit it up to give them a better view. She looked around the corner and didn't see anything, "Where would one hide in a school?"

Flash spotted a stairway, "Perhaps in the basement?"

Where it's even darker. Chelsea nodded, and they started for the stairs. Something didn't feel right. The next thing she knew she was being tackled by Wally who spiralled them off of the stairs and onto the ground. A shot had been fired in their direction. Chelsea's light went out, and they were immersed in darkness. Flash's arms were still around her body as they laid on the floor. Neither wanted to speak and take a chance on giving away their location. Flash realized the sort of position they were in and his mind started to wander. Chelsea's mind was so focused on the situation, her mind was racing. Slowly, she stood to her feet, never letting her hand leave his so she wouldn't lose him in the dark. His grip on hers was firm, as she helped him up.

Pushing her back to his front, she flashed an orb of protection around them, causing another bullet to fly, but they were safe now. Chelsea's eyes met the older brothers through the darkness. He was giving her a cold stare as he switched from a pistol to a shotgun. Chelsea swallowed hard. If a shell from a shotgun made contact, it would blow a hole into one of them. The older brother was beyond the point of turning back. He was angry.

"Talk to me," Chelsea said into the darkness, her light was almost blinding to their surroundings, "Who did that to your brother?"

He smiled and laughed, "He's not the only one who's gifted." He loaded a shell into the chamber of the gun, "I make bombs…" he touched the pistol at his side, and a seal appeared on it. Tossing it toward Chelsea, it exploded. The shock of it all sent Chelsea and Wally flying back. Her protection dome came down for a bit and then ignited once more.

"You alright?" she asked Wally.

"Just fine…" he mumbled. His tone was more serious than ever.

"Did you end up in the hospital sometime recently? No, not even recently. In the last 5 years?" She tried to get the boy to speak to her again.

A look of shock appeared on his face, "How did you…" his face grew cold again as he fired the shotgun.

His brother emerged from behind him, "Hold on, how do you know about that?"

"What are you doing, Sam?" asked the older brother.

Chelsea looked back to Flash and then frowned at their response, "How do you think I'm doing this now?" she asked, "I'm just like you."

"We were in a car accident," said the younger brother.

"Stop telling her everything!" yelled the older brother.

"I want to know what she has to say Nick!" Sam cried.

Chelsea watched the two brothers bicker, "When did your abilities start appearing?"

Sam put his hand on the barrel of his brother's shotgun and pushed it down, "A couple years ago." he told her.

"Can we just talk this out? We're not here to hurt you." Chelsea asked.

"No!" yelled Nick, "the last time we tried to tell someone they tried to separate us. It's too late now!"

Batman watched the scene play out through a ventilation shaft nearby, "Alfred," he spoke into his earpiece that was connected to the Batcave alone, "have you heard about any peculiar car accidents?" He opened up a small device that made a small screen appear and he typed away on it, doing research.

"Afraid not sir." Alfred informed.

Bruce started skimming the police files for any information on car accidents in Gotham. Low and behold a picture of both boys were found, along with their parents. Bruce switched ears and started speaking to Chelsea, "Chelsea, these boys supposedly died nearly three years ago. Their parents were casualties in the car accident. Someone must have reported them dead as well so they could use them for whatever experimentation practiced to make them that way."

Chelsea listened and looked at the boys, "Where have you been for three years?" she asked.

The boys looked shocked she knew such information, "They never told us." Sam commented.

"We woke up in some building with no windows. It was all white. They tortured us. Electrified our brains and pumped us with information." Nick explained, "one day we woke up on the street. I don't remember much of anything, except my powers." He placed his palm on the wall, "And I don't intend to waste such power." He blasted a hole into the wall and Chelsea's heart skipped a beat when she heard Batman grunt in her ear.

"Batman, are you alright?" she cried.

There was no response.

Her eyes instantly started to tear up, and she was filled with a sudden eruption of rage, "Flash… go find Batman."

"But…" he started to say, but when Chelsea looked back at him, her looks could have stopped his heart, "I'm on it." He ran out of her bubble and disappeared through the broken wall.

Nick was about to take a shot at the opening when Chelsea came forward and grabbed for the barrel of his gun. Her hand lit up, warming the barrel, causing it to grow soft. She twisted it into a knot and glared at him coldly. He smiled at her, and left his mark on the gun, then grabbed his brother and ran the other way. Snapping his fingers the gun exploded. Chelsea felt her heart stop as she took part of the blow. Her body throbbed all over from all the small burns. Luckily she blocked the brunt of the blast with her barrier.

She started to run off after the boys in hot pursuit. Sam watched over his shoulder as she caught up fairly quickly, "Shoot at her Sam." Nick instructed.

"But Nick…" Sam urged.

"Shoot!" his brother growled.

As Sam took aim and fired with his hand, Chelsea dodged and took to the air, speeding up instantly.

Nick dragged his arm across the wall, his symbol appearing across every part he touched, and then held up his hand, getting ready to snap.

"Think this through you idiot!" cried Chelsea, causing him to pause, "You're in a basement! If that blows we all get buried! Are you that stupid?!" She couldn't believe how inexperienced and childlike they were. They couldn't even process common logic.

Nick stared at the wall he had marked. Suddenly from behind the boys a tough titanium rope wrapped around the their bodies, pulling them together back to back. Flash came zipping out of the darkness and handcuffed the boys so they couldn't use their hands and then used a putty he received from Batman that instantly grew hard to glue their hands together in a praying position. He appeared before them with a grin, "I think they're a little tied up at the moment."

Batman emerged from the darkness. His shoulder was exposed from his suit, but otherwise he seemed unharmed. Chelsea came up to them quickly, "Are you both okay?" she asked.

"I still have one more bomb…" murmured Nick, "you aren't taking us back to that place… I won't allow you to." His body started to glow, along with his brother, because he was in immediate contact with him.

"No!" cried Bruce.

Chelsea grabbed for Bruce and Wally and surrounded all three of them in light. They were shot out of that building like a cannon ball. All three of them watched as the building started to collapse in on itself. They watched from the sky, as two lives were taken by flames and explosives.

No one said a word as Chelsea lowered them to the ground in front of the building. Batman didn't say a word, as he walked away a moment later, "Come on Bats!" Flash urged, "There was nothing we could do…"

Batman didn't say a word.

Chelsea put her hand on Flash's shoulder and shook her head, "Go get the ship, Wal…" she said softly. She started after Batman, and reached out to his bare shoulder, "I'm sorry… about your parents."

Batman instantly tensed.

"I know this one was personal, Batman. I'm so sorry. I tried so hard to save them… but there comes a point where it's up to them whether they want to be saved or not." Chelsea mumbled.

"My parents didn't have a choice." his voice was stern, "Those boys gave up… someone drove them to do something everyone strives to stay away from. People try so hard just to stay alive each and every day. So many things can take their lives from them. Life is fragile. Imagine someone driving you to the point where you don't wish to fight anymore!"

Chelsea took a step back from his voice booming. It started to pour. The rain was pounding at their bodies. It came on so quickly. Chelsea removed her jacket, and draped it over Batman's exposed shoulder. It was so small against his large, broad, muscular body. One might mistake it for an infants blanket, "Sometimes, people are driven to stop surviving… that's why we're around. To give them something worth fighting for. We can't save them all… we just have to do the best we can with the situation given. Today wasn't successful, but…"

"Someone is out there," he interrupted her. "That could have just have easily been you. Someone is out there turning people into super genetic humans. Exposing them to God knows what, and we don't have the first clue as to where this is happening."

This was the most she had ever heard Batman speak. She sighed, and looked up at the sky. Her body was soaked, and she was shivering. "I'm so sorry…"

"Get used to that feeling," Bruce warned, "it doesn't go away. It comes with taking on this line of work. You won't remember all of the faces you saved, but you will always remember the faces of those you let down."

Chelsea watched as Batman started to turn away again, "They're at peace now. They're with their parents." She explained, "Your parents… I bet, I bet they're so proud of you."

Bruce listened to her words. When he turned around to look at her, she was gone. He looked up to the sky, "Are you proud?" he wondered.

As Wally was on his way to pick Chelsea up from what remained of the high school, something didn't seem right with the aircraft. Out of nowhere it started to malfunction, shooting sparks and smoking, "That's not good…" Wally murmured. Unbuckling his seat belt, he stood up and backed away, "Sure, break down on the guy who can't fly."

Chelsea was standing in front of the school, watching it burn through the storm. That's when something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Her mouth fell open as she saw the aircraft smoking and spiraling in the air. Her eyes glowed a bright white light as she shot off in the sky, water bouncing off of her body as she covered herself in her forcefield and smashed clean through the ship. Wally was being tossed around like a hacky-sack. She never stopped momentum as she grabbed his arm and held him tightly to her body in her arms. He was unconscious by this point.

Floating in the air, she removed her protective orb and concealed what was left of the ship inside a new one, allowing it to blow up in a confined space. Gotham had enough to worry about, being down one high school. They didn't need another building going down because of a rogue aircraft.

Lowering herself to the ground she held Wally, keeping his head propped against her chest. She put her hand to her ear, "Can anyone hear me?"

There was silence, and then she heard the voice of Superman, "Chelsea, what's going on? You guys have been gone a long time."

"Could you come pick up Wally and me? Our ship sort of blew up…" Her voice cracked, snuggling Wally close. She was worried he was really hurt. She could only imagine his body was battered and bruised underneath his suit. She was overwhelmed. Her first day on the job essentially, and it was a failure. Two boys died today and she couldn't save them. Now who she considered to be her best friend, was lying unconscious in her arms. Batman's words echoed in her head, "Get used to that feeling. It doesn't go away…"

"Are you alright?" asked Clark with concern.

Chelsea felt herself start to sob, then held her ear again, "Yeah…" her voice squeaked, "I just… I need some help." her tears were masked by the rain.

"I've got your location. Don't worry hun, we're on our way." Clark replied.

Clark turned to the others and they all looked worried.

"What did she get herself into?" wondered Hawkgirl.

"We can't worry about that right now." John Stewart said, "We have to help her."

"Exactly," Clark responded.

In no time Clark, John, and J'onn had arrived in a different space craft. Superman came out to find Chelsea sitting there, using her upper body to shield Wally from the rain. When they returned to the ship, there was a suffocating silence that filled the air. Chelsea's appearance was wrecked by stress and drenched with rain. She never strayed from Wally's side, keeping his head on her lap.

"I'm sorry to ask, but what happened?" Clark asked into the open air.

Chelsea went through the whole story. From them starting their journey in the store, to the high school and Batman's instructions to keep this case between the three of them, and to the tragic end. She wasn't even sure how the ship had a malfunction, but it certainly topped the cake.

"Never trust Wally to drive," joked John.

J'onn waved his hand over Wally, "I assure you that he will be alright," he told her, "he took a beating, but it's nothing severe. No broken bones or internal injury occurred."

"Thank goodness," Chelsea sighed.

"Wally means a lot to you, doesn't he?" asked Clark.

Chelsea looked at him, "I know it sounds silly since I haven't known him very long…" she ran her thumb up and down the bridge of his nose, "but he's shown me a kindness unlike any other. He's made me feel so comfortable here. I'm the reason he's hurt. I'm the one that told him to go get the ship…"

"You can't take responsibility for everything that happened today," Clark told her, "I know you're upset about those boys too. And I'm sure you're upset about Bruce…"

"Bruce?" asked Chelsea.

"Batman," corrected Clark.

"His name is Bruce?" she thought to herself.

"All I'm saying is, it only hurts you more to bare such a burden. Things happen beyond your control. What is meant to happen will. All you can do is control your own actions. If more people accepted that… I think they'd be more happy." Clark told her.

She mustered a smile, "I can see why you're the leader…"

Clark decided not to comment on that, "He cares about you, you know…"  
"Who?" She asked.

"Bruce…" Clark said, "I've never seen him act that way over anyone before. You mean a lot more to him than he's letting on."

"Get used to that feeling. It doesn't go away…" She heard his sultry voice once again in her head. He apologized earlier that morning for something that was also out of his control. The mugger in the alleyway. Did he feel like he let her down? Instead of replying to Superman, she just held Wally close to her and sighed. What she wouldn't give to hear a light-hearted joke from him right about now.

About an hour later Wally's eyes fluttered open. He checked his surroundings to find himself on his bed in his room. His body ached. He couldn't exactly remember what happened that got him here in the first place. Chelsea came out of his bathroom and saw that he was conscious. All the pain seemed to disappear when he saw her.

"Hey," she said softly, "I'm so glad to see you awake. How're you doing?" she asked.

He nodded, "Fine actually," it started to come back to him now. The ship was going down. So that means Chelsea must have… saved him? "My hero?" he joked.

A smile spread across her face as she sat on the bed beside him and pulled him into an embrace, "I was… really worried."

He'd been around his share of women, but none who held him this sincerely and was filled with so much care. Normally he'd be very tempted to make a pass at her, but with Chelsea, it's almost like he wanted to be on his best behavior. His respect for her was too high to tarnish it. Almost like a reflex he pulled her in tightly, "Hey now, I'm fine."

Chelsea had to admit, it felt nice to feel embraced. After the day she had, it was almost like feeling his arms around her was the only thing that would get her through it, "I brought you something." She said, pulling away and reaching for a bag she had on the floor, "GL went out earlier so I asked him to pick something up for me," she held up a DVD of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Wally couldn't help, but laugh at her. His face wore his usual smile, "You stayed beside me the whole time didn't you?"

She got up to put the DVD in his DVD player and turned on his tv, "Yeah, except ironically when you woke up and I was in the bathroom. Don't think I didn't see the magazines in there by the way…"

He chuckled nervously, "I keep those for the rest of the guys…"

She sat beside him on his bed and grabbed the remote. It crossed her mind that she'd be willing to bet her right arm that Wally had the closest thing to an ordinary room out of all of the Justice League. Dirty laundry scattered across the floor, swimsuit model posters, an old television and DVD player. Not to mention the retro game stations he had lined up.

As she pressed play, she sat back and laid there beside him, her upper body propped up against the pillows. This was the most normal thing she had done since she had been here. There were no complications, no bad guys. Just a kid getting out of a day of school to cause mayhem, her, and Wally.

For a while, Wally kept his eyes on her frequently. She acted like they had done this for years. And the odd part, it felt like it. He was sure everyone had been telling her things like "He womanizes" or "He flirts with everything that doesn't move too fast. Har-har!" but she didn't seem to listen. She got to know Wally herself. She decided to make those judgments on her own. Wally looked down and smiled to himself. Chelsea, was a one of a kind girl.


	5. Chapter 5

_Girl Power_

Clark sat around the table once more with Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, and J'onn close by staring at the monitors. He had called this meeting, specifically with these members, for a reason, "I'm letting you guys know, that if something happens today, I'm assigning groups."

"What? Why?" asked Hawkgirl.

"Don't pretend like you don't know what this is about," Green Lantern mumbled.

"I do not understand," said Wonder Woman.

Clark sighed, "Everyone has warmed up to Chelsea, except you two." he gestured to the two girls sitting at the table, "so until I see some improvements, she will not be allowed to work out on the field with Wally and you two will be her team for the next few assignments."

Hawkgirl sarcastically laughed, "You're joking."

"Not in the least bit," Clark said sternly, "She's a sweet girl. She asked for our help yesterday and both you and Diana turned the other cheek."

"Someone had to stay here encase something else came up," argued Wonder Woman.

"Yes," agreed Clark, "but that doesn't excuse the fact that neither of you stepped up yesterday to go retrieve her and Wally."

"Perhaps he's right… we haven't been trying that hard ever since our little disagreement with Wally." Wonder Woman admitted.

"Or she's just managed to manipulate all of the testosterone on this ship," growled Hawkgirl.

"Oh please," Green Lantern rolled his eyes, "just because you two are bitter doesn't mean she's done anything wrong. The problem lies within you."

"I couldn't agree more," Clark added.

"Agree on what?" asked Wally. The rest of the gang seemed surprised he was by himself.

"Wally," Clark started, "I don't want you to be caught off-guard, but I'm assigning Chelsea to work with the other girls on the next mission or two, should we have to split up into groups. The girls haven't done much bonding and could use that time to create one."

Flash glanced at the two girls. Hawkgirl looked irritated, and Wonder Woman looked guilty, "And as expected I can see they're just jumping up and down with excitement." Wally huffed, taking a seat.

Chelsea came in soon after. She was dressed in red converse shoes, gray jeans, a black shirt, and red hoodie. Her hair looked as well kept as always, as it draped down the length of her back, some flipped to the font. She looked at each of them, "You know… somehow I feel like the odd man out."

Wally laughed, "And we're the one's that are supposed to stick out."

"You don't have a costume, do you?" asked Clark.

"Sorry, it's at the other headquarters with the other group of superheroes I committed myself to." she joked with a shrug.

"You can't go around dressed as a normal person," Wonder Woman commented.

"Well," she thought, "Does this make you feel better?" she unzipped her hoodie to reveal a Batman shirt, and smirked.

"They actually sell those?" asked Green Lantern.

"In Gotham they do," she replied, sounding just as surprised as he was.

Clark was grinning, "I wish he was here right now. I'm sure his expression would be priceless."

"Or it would stay the same as it always does…" Wally shook his head.

"So I take it you're a Batman fan?" asked Superman.

"Nah, this is just a cover," she joked, "I'm actually a hard-core Green Lantern girl," she patted John Stewart on the back.

"Then you need some new duds girl," Green Lantern said, going along with it.

By this time Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman were looking at each other with the same look. They really didn't understand what was so funny, but it didn't make sense. How did she grab all the guys' attention when she walked in. They all liked her so much. Warmed up to her so quickly. Why couldn't they?

"What's on the agenda today?" asked Chelsea.

"Funny you ask," Superman said, getting a bit more serious, "Chelsea, the next time we go out on mission, I'd like you to work with Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl."

Chelsea looked over to the girls. She could already see what Clark was trying to do. Almost like a teacher when they assign groups in the classroom. She worried it'd be just like college and high school… she'd be the only one putting forth any effort. Faking a smile she turned her attention back to Clark, "Awesome. I'm in." It was just easier to smile and nod. At the very least maybe she could learn something from them. It was Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman. The most gorgeous women on the face of the planet that were also badass crime fighters.

Or again it would be like high school and college, where the pretty girls turned away from her in disgust because… well, she could never really understand what was so off putting about herself, but she tried not to open that door.

Almost right on cue the monitors started to glow red, "There's an attack on Metropolis…" J'onn murmured.

When they arrived in Superman's home city, it seemed like just as Clark wanted, there were separate things occurring everywhere, "Alright, GL come with me. We'll take on the west district. J'onn, Flash, take on central. Star, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl… here in the east."

There was a look exchanged between Flash and Chels as they joined their own parties. As everyone parted ways, there stood the girls in the middle of the street. The streets weren't quiet by any means, but these three were obviously the quietest on the strip. Chelsea turned to the two girls, "Where to first?" she asked. A powerline crashed down on a couple of cars nearby and Chelsea's eyes widened, "Point taken."

There on the car stood a girl with electricity coursing out of her body, "She's mine. I could use the stress reliever." Hawkgirl growled, taking flight and charging at the girl with her mace.

On the other side of Wonder Woman and Chelsea a fire hydrant sprung open and a girl appeared out of the water that sprayed everywhere, "I've got it." Wonder Woman cried, preparing her lasso as she went in that direction.

A fire exploded out of the building in front of Chelsea a few stories up, "Guess that leaves me. Great teamwork…" she mumbled, taking off her hoodie and tossing it aside. Flying up to the floor that had the glass shatter, she started to cough instantly from the smoke. She put her usual protective shield around herself to take in some clean oxygen and looked around. There were people everywhere, hidden under their desks in their cubicles. A girl was throwing fire everywhere. Taking out some of her frustration toward Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl, Chelsea grabbed the girl by her arm and spun her a few times before slinging her out of a window.

Turning to the people, they all looked terrified. She was a bit overwhelmed by the situation and was trying to think fast, "Where are emergency stairs?" she asked to anyone that would answer.

Someone pointed behind the flames and Chelsea sighed. She wished GL were here. Then he could create a hose long enough to utilize a fire hydrant and get these flames to stop spreading, "Clark… I've got an emergency. I'm on the 10th story in a 15 story building and the place is just burning apart. There are civilians everywhere. I need back up. No one above us can get out either because the stairways have been blocked off."

"Take it up with your partners." Clark replied.

Chelsea sighed and punched a wall in frustration. There wasn't enough time for this! That's when Chelsea took a blow to the back of the head. She rolled to the side and kicked her offender. It was that fire girl again. Didn't appear that she liked being tossed out of windows. Who knew? Chelsea huffed, "Wonder Woman, I need your help. Now!" she pleaded, "Bring that water girl up here. I think she could be of some use."

Wonder Woman grabbed the girl with her lasso and drug her up to the 10th floor, "Put these flames out," Chelsea ordered the aqua female. The girl spat water in her face. Chelsea glared, "I don't think you understand," Chelsea tried again, "if you don't… fire turns liquid into a gas. You do the math!"

The water girl reluctantly started putting out the flames her sister had just started. Within minutes they had the problem under control, "Hawkgirl," Chelsea started, "how's your situation going down with sparky?"

"Just fine," she replied.

As Wonder Woman helped civilians down the stairs, Chelsea looked around, "Uh, you might have some company coming," Chelsea told her as the fire elementalist was no where to be found.

"Great," huffed Hawkgirl.

Chelsea turned to Wonder Woman, "Do you got this? Hawkgirl needs my help."

"Yeah, go ahead, I'll be right behind you." Wonder Woman called, guiding people with one hand and holding onto her lasso with the other. She still had the water girl under her control.

Hawkgirl was about to be blasted in the back with an electrical shock when Chelsea intervened and blasted her instead with a blast of her light bolts. Landing back to back against Hawkgirl she looked over her shoulder, "I got your back."

"Thanks," smirked Hawkgirl, fending off some fireballs with her mace.

Wonder Woman appeared soon after, "I've got some bad news."

"What?" asked Chelsea.

Wonder Woman pointed to the water girl, who was now joining her elemental sisters. When all three stood together, it was obvious they were sisters. There bodies started to glow, and come together, creating a new form. There was a horse made of fire, with a liquified knight on its back, with a sword made of lightning in its grasp. They stood at about 40 feet tall. Chelsea looked to Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman, "Ideas?"

"Chelsea if we can get them back to their normal forms I can keep them at bay with my lasso. We have to bring their levels down."

Chelsea thought about it through, "It's a simple game of rock, paper, scissors. We'll have them beat each other."

Wonder Woman thought about it, "Hawkgirl, can you get the sword from the knight?"

"Challenge accepted," nodded Hawkgirl. Hawkgirl blasted the knight in the face with her mace, causing the behemoth to drop the sword. Wonder Woman picked up the sword as Chelsea kept landing blows on the horse with her light bolts. In one swift motion, Wonder Woman stabbed the electrified sword into the knights chest. Penetrating the surface of the water, and conducting it with electricity caused it to spill out and put out the horse. An explosion occurred as each girl returned to their normal forms, weakened by each other.

As Hawkgirl placed them back to back and Wonder Woman tied them up, Chelsea stood back and watched. Irony seemed to continue to serve its purpose. Three girls, all equally strong, with enough power to tear one another apart, but with the bonds to work as one force instead. A first challenge with Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl could not have been more perfect.

"Ah, good. You guys have this about wrapped up yourself." Clark commented, coming in for a landing.

John Stewart landed beside Hawkgirl, "Wasn't too bad, right?"

"Nah," Hawkgirl replied, "I've got her back."

J'onn landed beside Superman, "The officials will be here momentarily."

"Where's-?" Chelsea started to ask.

Suddenly, Flash was in front of her with a single rose in his grasp, "Sorry I'm late." he grinned, "I made a pit stop."

Chelsea chuckled and took the flower in her hand, then hugged him, "You big goofball." she mumbled.


	6. Chapter 6

_His name is Bruce Wayne_

Chelsea sat on the bed in what was now dubbed her room, with a sketchbook in hand and her thoughts focused on her drawing. Wonder Woman entered her room, "Knock, knock." she said.

"Come in," Chelsea replied.

Wonder Woman sat on the edge of her bed and watched the progression on the page, "He's handsome." she watched the talented girl draw a picture of a man, "Who is he?"

Chelsea blushed, "It's kind of silly. Don't laugh?" she asked.

Wonder Woman nodded, "Of course."

Chelsea was hesitant, and then pulled a magazine out from under her bed. It was a Trending magazine, and the front cover had the same man on it. It read, "Bruce Wayne, pretty boy billionaire, donates funds to rebuild Gotham West High School." Chelsea stared at his picture, "This is the guy that gave me my scholarship and got me through my years of college so far. He's so dreamy… I still sort of keep up with his life through the tabloids and print."

"Sounds like you have a crush on him," Wonder Woman grinned.

Chelsea shrugged, "I guess I do. Five years has passed and he still crosses my mind all the time. It's more of like a celebrity crush you know? He's just so charming." She sighed. She went back to her sketch, "I use him as a model when I draw men. He's got the perfect build, and cheek bones that make a girl swoon."

"Are you sure the cheek bones are what you're staring at?" asked Diana, nudging her.

Chelsea's face lit up like a Christmas tree, "Very funny." Chelsea opened her laptop and started looking through pages on the internet, "Oh man…"

"What? What did the pretty boy do now?" asked Diana.

"It's not him… my bank account. I hadn't realized just how little money I had left… I won't be able to make my monthly bill on my apartment…" Chelsea murmured.

"Why don't you just move all of your stuff here and save yourself the time?" wondered Diana.

"I've had that apartment for so long. I'm sort of attached to it, you know? Plus, I'd like to still have a place down on Earth I can retreat to between art classes and crime fighting." Chelsea explained.

Diana stood up and started for the door to leave the girl alone with her thoughts, "I'm sure you'll think of something."

Wonder Woman walked into the monitor room to see everyone else accountable at the table.

Flash looked toward her, "What's she up to?"

"Drawing… and seeming a bit worried." Diana informed.

"Why's that?" asked Clark with concern.

"Apparently she's worried about losing her home because she doesn't have the funds to cover it…" Wonder Woman explained to the best of her ability although she really didn't understand.

Chelsea came in shortly after with a backpack on her back, "Hey, Superman…" she came over to the table, "I'm going to go home for a few days if that's alright with you?"

"Sure, take all the time you need." nodded Clark.

"I'll be back in a couple of days tops," Chelsea said, standing behind Flash who was sitting down in his chair. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pressed her head against his. She waved to everyone else and patted Batman on the back as she walked by, then exited out to the landing bay.

Diana couldn't help but giggle.

"What's so funny?" asked Clark.

"Nothing," She waved, "she's just really cute. You might have some competition Wally."

Wally looked at her confused, "What?"

"I'm just kidding," she sat down at the table, "I caught her drawing this man named Bruce Wayne. Apparently she has a big crush on the guy. It was cute to watch her show a girly side for a change."

Clark wore a cocky smirk, "Oh really?" his eyes turned to Batman.

"I've heard of that guy," Wally commented, "He's not that big of a deal. What does she see in him?"

"Oh I don't know." joked Diana, "his gorgeous and has a lot of assets. Yeah, you're right Wally I can't imagine what she sees in him."

"You might have run for your money there, Wally." Clark laughed, "I hear he's a real ladies man."

"Sounds like a rich creep to me." Wally crossed his arms.

Batman abruptly stood up and left the room without a word.

"What's his problem?" asked Wally.

Clark snickered, "He must not keep up with pop culture."

Chelsea paced back and forth in her apartment. Inside was an artist table, a living room atmosphere, and sketchbooks piled high like towers. On one wall a bunch of paint hung on hooks with blank canvases scattered about. Depending on the person it could look like a mess or a masterpiece.

"Maybe I can bust out a couple paintings and sell them to make the money?" she thought, "but there's no guarantee I'll get a buyer. I haven't even got a commission in weeks…" she sighed and fell into her chair. Her head throbbed. She was going in circles in her head. From the silence emerged a knock at the door, "Who could that possibly be?" she wondered. Pulling herself up from the chair she dragged herself over to the door. Opening it, her mouth slowly opened. She was frozen. She couldn't even blink.

"Bruce Wayne," he spoke, "do you remember me?"

She abruptly snapped out of her daze, "What are you doing here?"

"I needed an artist to fix up my place. I remembered you so I looked you up," he spoke with the same charming voice she remembered, "May I come in?"

Chelsea looked back at her trainwreck of a studio apartment, "Uh, sure… I apologize in advance for the mess."

Bruce walked in and took a look around. The corner of his lip curved upward in approval, then he turned back to her, "Money isn't an issue. Name your price and I'll show you around Wayne Manor with what I need accomplished."

She was still having a hard time forming words. Bruce Wayne, in her apartment, right now. She noticed a magazine she had about him on her table and not so casually made her way over to it to block his view, "Well I'd have to see what it is exactly you desire and then give you a price…"

"That works just fine. Can you come by tomorrow, say around noon?" he asked, coming toward her and handing her a business card, "My butler will let you in." he winked at her and started for the door, "By the way," he murmured, "your taste in magazines are impressive." with that comment hanging in the air he shut the door behind him.

Chelsea came over to the door and pushed her back against it. She was trying not to scream as she held the card in her grasp. Her head could have just now exploded, "Bruce Wayne," she read the card. He still remembered her? That was so hard to believe.

The next day Chelsea was so nervous. She didn't know what to wear or how to present herself. She was at ends. As she approached the fence, she pressed the call button, "My name is Chelsea. I have a meeting with Mr. Wayne today."

Alfred's gentle accent came over the speaker, "Come in miss." The fence opened and she entered. Every step she took became heavier and heavier. She had her most impressive portfolio in her left hand. She came to the door and took a deep breath. As she was about to wrap her knuckles against the excessively large double doors, it opened, and Alfred stood before her, "Good afternoon, Miss Chelsea. Master Wayne is expecting you. He's wrapping up some business but he'll meet you momentarily." He motioned her forward and she followed after him.

As Alfred gave her a brief tour, he entered a rather large bedroom that was completely empty. Walls white, pleading to be painted on. The floor covered so no trace of paint would be left. She took it all in, smiling to herself. It had been so long since she was alone with her brushes, breathing in the familiar scent of paint.

Bruce quietly entered the room, nodding to Alfred to relieve him. He was standing a few feet behind Chelsea, just watching her. She had black converse shoes on, high rise jean shorts, and a black cropped top. Her hair was up in a long cascading ponytail. He was happy she didn't try to overdress and instead wore what she was comfortable in. It was refreshing. Most people who met Bruce had this fake persona they tried to pass off as the real deal to try to get money out of him, "So, what'd you think?" he asked into the silence.

She about leapt clean out of her skin, "Bruce! I mean uh- Mr. Wayne!" she stuttered.

He came forward, standing closer to her now. He wore a royal blue turtle neck and black pants, with shiny polished black shoes. They certainly didn't look like they belonged in the same room. His eyes, they stared right down into her. It reminded her of someone, "You can call me Bruce," he chuckled.

She stared at him for a time, just taking him in. He was even lovelier in person. She snapped back into focus, "So uh," she gestured to her portfolio, "I brought samples of my work and I'm willing to do just about anything to you-FOR YOU!" she corrected quickly, her face turning red.

He let the slip up slide, but it did make him laugh on the inside. A smile appeared on his face, and what's more, a genuine one. It was an odd feeling for him, "I don't have a preference honestly. I'm probably not the best person to ask about art, but I really loved your work." his eyes couldn't help but wander down to her shirt, because plastered on it was a picture of Batman himself. It looked like he was standing on the edge of a building while the Bat Signal was exposed in the background. His jaw straightened.

Chelsea looked down at her shirt to see what suddenly made him look so unnerved, "Oh," she laughed, "I actually made this shirt. I love Batman," she stammered again, "I mean I don't love Batman I don't actually know- well what I mean to say is…"

"You do splendid work," He told her, "Do something you want to do to the room. I honestly just can't wait to see the progression."

"Anything?" she asked, "But Mr. Wayne…" he turned his gaze toward her again, and they stared at one another, "Bruce," she corrected, "I don't even know where to…" she sighed, and looked around the room.

He placed his hand on her back, "I loved your piece that displayed Gotham at night. If you could somehow project that onto the walls…?" he asked.

She nodded, "That's definitely a start." she was trembling at the touch of his strong hand on the small of her back, "When would you like me to begin?"

"Whenever you like. You can come and go as you please. Feel free to stay for the evening if you wish. There's a guest bedroom across the hall you can sleep in, and if you have any other questions, just ask me or Alfred." He started for the door, "Can I ask you something?" he hesitated.

"Sure," she replied, still in shock over the last thing he said. Stay the night? Here. With Bruce Wayne?

"Why Batman?" his tone turned serious.

She tried to think of how to explain it, "He's the hero everyone can relate to." she told him, "Superman is super, Wonder Woman is wonderful… but then there's Batman, who's human." Bruce's eyes lit up with surprise, but he kept his back turned to her, "Batman… people fear him, but I think… behind that sadness. Behind the anger and the loneliness… there's kindness. A wonderful person underneath the cape and cowl." She looked at the wall and ran her hand across the blank canvas, "Sometimes, I wish I could tell him that."

Bruce looked back to her, his eyes in a far off place. He opened his mouth, and then closed it, swallowing hard, "I'll check up on you later." he told her, and exited the room. Walking quickly down the hallway he thought to himself, "You just did…"

Chelsea worked on the project for hours. She did so much her body ached all over from the odd sitting positions and such she put herself in to squeeze in a detail. She was afraid to use anything in the guest bathroom. It was almost like a hotel. Not a thing had a been touched. Reluctantly she used the shampoo, conditioner, and soap and showered. It didn't appear that Bruce had many guests. She was restless. Sleeping in an unfamiliar place was unsettling to her. She started to wander down the hall. By this time it was nearly two in the morning. Why was she still up?

Bruce came up from the Batcave, and came through a secret passageway. His eyebrows scrunched when he saw a television on in one of his several living rooms. There Chelsea sat with some guest pajamas made of red silk. It wasn't the sort of thing he was used to seeing her in. She was hugging her knees sitting on the couch looking as uncomfortable as one could get. Almost like she was afraid to touch anything.

"Why're you still up?" Bruce asked, coming in to sit with her.

"I could ask you the same thing," She replied. She realized where she was, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overstep my bounds, but I couldn't sleep and this was the first room I found with a television. One of my favorite shows comes on around two so I thought I might be able to fall asleep if I watched some."

"How goes the room?" he wondered.

"Pretty well actually," she told him, "I should have it done late tomorrow evening."

He looked at her puzzled, "So soon?"

"I work fast," she told him, "plus I have other responsibilities I can't overlook. You actually saved me. I needed the money really bad."

He felt himself repeating something she once said to him, "I believe fate puts us where we're most needed."

She couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she shook her head, "You just… remind me of someone."

"May I ask who?" he replied.

She laughed, "Just a friend of mine. He's… a really great guy." she breathed.

Bruce's eyes flashed to the tv when he heard a familiar theme song. He couldn't believe it. There had to be a mistake, "You stayed up to watch Gray Ghost?" he asked with disbelief.

"Call me a nerd," she shrugged, "it's black and white, but I grew up loving Gray Ghost. It's so good."

He smiled, "I grew up watching it too. I never missed an episode." he confessed, "I'd stay up really late, past my bed time and watch it with my dad."

She laughed, "We're both nerds then." She saw the first few seconds and knew instantly what episode it was, "Oh! This is the one where he almost doesn't solve the mystery, but then-"

"He finds the kitchen knife in the trash can," he finished her sentence.

"I'm impressed," she nodded playfully. Bruce was so different than she imagined him to be. He was so down to Earth. They both watched the show quietly with each other.

Bruce looked at her from time to time. He didn't believe in Heaven and Hell, but she was the closest he came, to believing in the existence of angels. When that thought crossed his mind, he felt his heart beating. It was almost like the day the Grinch's heart grew three sizes. He felt a soft red hue overcome his cheeks when her head rested against his shoulder. When he looked at her again, she had fallen asleep on him.

The next morning, she woke up startled. She was lying in the guest bedroom. She couldn't exactly remember how the evening ended, but didn't let it stop her from getting dressed and going right back to work. It was amazing what she already had done. If she spent the rest of the day detailing, it would be done before dinner. Bruce knocked on the door, pulling her concentration toward the door, "Yes?"

"Are you hungry?" asked Bruce. She had the tendency not to eat. No wonder she was tiny.

"I'll grab some lunch later Mr. Wayne!" she told him, "I'm in a groove right now. It's best not to stop me."

He chuckled at her logic, "Alright." She was still calling him Mr. Wayne.

Several hours passed. When Bruce came up from the Batcave again, the sun had just about disappeared over the horizon. Hours flew by when he did research. He was still trying to figure out where those two boys had been experimented on. He had a headache that was inconceivable. As he made his way to the room where Chelsea was working, he knocked, "Chelsea, how's it going?"

There wasn't a reply, so he went inside. His lips parted at the sight. He was surrounded by the city of Gotham. It was almost like having a photograph on each wall. He started walking around the room examining all the little details. That's when he saw it. The Bat Signal hung in the sky. As his eyes scanned the buildings, there was Batman, hunched over on a building top, watching over the city.

"I call it, Gotham's Guardian." she said coming in behind him.

His palm pressed against the wall, as he tightly closed his eyes. He was masking the fact that without a word spoken, Chelsea had driven him to shed a tear. He quickly wiped at his face and turned toward her, "It's… incredible."

She smiled, "I'm glad you like it."

"Did you ever eat?" he asked with concern.

"Alfred fixed me some dinner." She motioned her thumb back toward the door.

Bruce was still speechless. He created this whole plan just to give her some money, but he never expected to be so moved. This girl, struck a chord in him. One he never knew existed. He wasn't sure how he felt about this feeling. It was so new. He couldn't explain it, "Here," he pulled an envelope from his pocket, "I already have your payment."

"We never discussed a price, Mr. Wayne." She said, taking the envelope gingerly.

"We never needed to," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "but please, call me Bruce."

"I'm sorry," she blushed, "I don't mean to keep doing that, it's just when… oh, nevermind."

"Tell me," he requested.

She looked at him hesitantly, "I just, I always practiced what I wanted to say to you if I ever got to see you again. I had the speech memorized, but… I had forgotten it all in an instant the moment you appeared at my door." She paused, and held up her envelope, "Thank you, Bruce. I appreciate this more than you could ever know." She turned to the door, "I have to be going… but thank you for letting me stay the night. I got a lot more accomplished that way. If you ever need someone to watch Gray Ghost with, call me up. We'll have a marathon." She joked.

He placed his hands in his pockets, "We'll make a date of it." he was completely serious, but Chelsea didn't take it that way.

"Oh," Chelsea had one last thing to say. She recalled the moment she stood in the pouring rain with Batman. The look of sadness on his face, "Thank you… for getting that high school fixed… I have a friend who… probably really appreciates it."

As she walked out the door, Bruce stood in the middle of the room, staring at all of the colors of the night presented beautifully around him. He didn't leave the room for some time. Alfred came in the room sometime after, "Master Bruce, are you alright?"

"Look at it Alfred… look what she can do…" he murmured still amazed.

Alfred stood beside him. He had never seen that look in Bruce's eyes before. He was so… happy. Alfred would be the first to understand how he felt, even before Bruce himself realized it. He was madly in love with the artist that painted his entire life in art. Alfred placed a hand on his shoulder, "Look what she did, for you…" he corrected.

Bruce stared thoughtfully at the Batman image that watched over Gotham.

Chelsea went to the bank the next day sometime around eleven in the morning. She wanted to make sure the money got deposited in her account the following day so she could pay her bills on time. When she opened the envelope, her mouth hung open. A small note fell out of the envelope as well. Chelsea read the note, "It's a masterpiece. -Mr. Wayne." She laughed at the jab he took at her with the Mr. Wayne signage. Handing a deposit slip and the check to the banker, her eyes lit up too, "The Bruce Wayne?" she asked.

"Yeah," Chelsea murmured.

"Alright," she nodded, "We'll be sure to have this in your account shortly."

Chelsea returned to the Watch Tower later that day. She was in such high spirits. When she came in everyone turned to her, "Chels!" Wally exclaimed. He zoomed passed everyone and swept her off her feet, spinning her around once.

"He's been pretty lost without you," Wonder Woman admitted.

Chelsea laughed and embraced him, "I miss you too, Wal."

Everyone gathered around her, "So did you get your problem worked out?" Hawkgirl asked.

"Yeah, I got a commission. I worked my butt off for two days, but it was worth it." Chelsea told them. Once everyone started talking amongst themselves, Chelsea pulled Wonder Woman to the side, "Oh my God, Diana!" she was shaking from excitement, "You are not going to believe who asked me to paint a room in his house… Bruce Wayne!"

Diana looked shocked, "Wow!" she didn't know what to say, "That's… ironic."

"He paid me $20,000 to do it…" she still couldn't believe the sum of money.

"That's great," Diana smiled, "did anything… happen between you two?"

"Oh Gosh no," Chelsea waved her hand, "but… he was a really sweet person."

Batman entered the room quietly, "Hey Bats is here." Wally commented, "We haven't seen you in two days. Where ya been buddy?"

Batman looked right through Wally, watching Chelsea smiling and laughing with Diana, "Business." He moved passed the others, right to her.

"Hey Batman," smiled Chelsea.

"I have to talk to you." he said, "Privately." he corrected.

She looked at him with surprise, "Of course." The two of them left the room and went into the hallway.

"Sheesh, what was that about?" wondered Wally into the air.

That's when it all became clear for Wonder Woman as flashes of memory came flooding into her mind, "Oh Hera…" she murmured, covering her mouth.

"What is it?" asked Clark, concerned. Everyone's attention turned to her.

"It's nothing," she smiled nervously. Bruce Wayne was Batman. It was the only thing that made sense. How could Chelsea have not put that together by now?

Batman stopped walking and held his hand out to her, palm down, "Here."

She held her hand out to catch the pill he had borrowed from her, "Any luck?" she asked.

"I studied it for days… nothing but dead ends." he shook his head.

"I'm sorry," she told him, "we'll get it figured out. Don't worry."

"That was all I wanted," he told her, and started to walk off.

"Batman," She said into the open air.

He stopped, but did not turn toward her.

"I mean, Bruce, thanks for looking out for me," she said with a gentle tone.

His heart jumped, "What did you call me?" he asked.

"Superman told me your name was Bruce. So I thought I'd try it," She patted him on the shoulder, and walked passed him, back into the room with everyone else.

Bruce stood there to collect his thoughts. There he was again. All alone. Feeling her warmth pass by him, he wished he could reach out to her, but he couldn't. He had a mask for a reason. No one could know. Not even her.


	7. Chapter 7

_Her Purpose, His Feelings_

_Part 1_

It was dark and dank. There was some awful scent masking the air. Almost like they were in the belly of a carcass. Chelsea turned her attention to Wally, "I think we're almost out."

"I hope so," he stated, "this place is giving me the creeps!" They came to a door and found themselves back out on the street. Wally exhaled deeply, "Thank heavens," he leaned against a car and the alarm instantly went off.

"Wally!" Chelsea cried, "What did I tell you about the cars!?"

That's when they heard it. The sound of a thousand grunts and growls coming their way. From around the corner a horde of zombies came flooding toward them. Chelsea started to load her shotgun, as Wally shot with his double pistols. There wasn't enough fire power in the world for this horde! Releasing a pipe bomb from his waist he tossed it in their direction, "Come on!" Wally told Chelsea.

They turned to run in the other direction when they were clobbered by a huge hulking zombie as he started grinding them into the ground. The screen read, "You are dead."

"Aww! Come on! We were so close that time!" cried Chelsea, dropping her Xbox controller.

Wally's lips formed a pout, "How was I to know he was going to come out of no where?"

"I've told you about the cars!" Chelsea protested.

Wonder Woman peeked into Wally's room, "What is going on in here?"

"Video games…" they both mumbled in unison.

"You two spend entirely too much time together." Wonder Woman said with a tone of concern.

"Nah," Chelsea said holding up her hand, "Wally's my favorite."

Wally high-fived her hand, "We're buds, Diana. No big deal."

Diana wandered off, "Sure, friends…" she mumbled.

"Wanna try again?" asked Wally, picking up his controller.

"With your clumsy footwork? No thanks. I'm still recovering from before." She elbowed him and stood up from the floor. Her back always got so stiff after sitting on the floor.

"Where are you off to?" he asked, standing up.

"Not sure yet…" she said, "I may see what everyone else is up to." Chelsea started down the hallway and Wally followed after her. It was better than sitting by himself in his room. As they entered the monitor room, everyone was around the table as usual.

John Stewart read Chelsea's expression, "He set off the car alarm again, didn't he?"

Chelsea high-fived John, "Yeah."

Flash sat down at the table still pouting, "Aww c'mon! Not you too John."

Chelsea looked like she was thinking, "If you guys could only have one partner in the zombie apocalypse out of the Justice League members, who would it be and why?"

"What are zombies?" asked Hawkgirl.

"Reanimated people," Chelsea explained, "like Solomon Grundy, but picture like… nearly the entire population of Earth like him."

"That sounds terrible…" Wonder Woman murmured.

"Who would you pick?" asked Clark to Chelsea, "You can't put us on the spot without answering your own question."

Chelsea grinned, "I dunno. I'm thinking Batman is the way to go?"

"You pick the guy without superpowers in the zombie apocalypse?" asked Wally, "And you're mad about me tripping a car alarm?!"

"Let me defend my statement," she said, as she looked to Bruce. His expression wasn't totally serious at the moment because he was actually wondering what she was going to say, "If I know Batman, he always has a plan. If anyone has a zombie plan it's that guy. Plus, he can fight, he's resourceful and intelligent."

"He'd never use a gun though!" Flash stated, to spite her.

"Now hold on," Chelsea retorted, "He wouldn't use a gun on the living… the dead however…"

"Oh that's totally a cop out!" Wally argued.

Everyone was chuckling at how this ridiculous conversation had escalated, "But at the same time…" Chelsea said.

"I don't know if it's fair to be able to change your mind," John Stewart grinned.

"No, no," Chelsea shook her head, "I was just going to pose the argument that if I chose Batman that would make the rest of you zombies. I don't know about you… but I don't wanna face a zombie that can outrun me," she gestured to Wally, "or fly," she looked at Hawkgirl, "Or god forbid be completely and utterly invincible to bullets," she said squeezing Superman's shoulders.

Clark started laughing, "I see how it is," he said, "Pick Batman because you want him to live. Pick us because it's a liability if you don't."

Everyone was laughing by this point. Batman even managed a small smile. This light-hearted moment was cut short when the monitors started to glow red, "It appears we have an emergency in Central City." said J'onn softly.

Everyone turned their attention to Wally. That was his home after all.

J'onn tapped into the street cameras. That's when they saw them: Solomon Grundy, a large zombie-like man, Copperhead, a man with a snake suit and poisonous abilities, Cheetah, the cat-like female, Humanoid, the white gorilla with a experimentally powered brain that was nearly exposed from his skull, and their leader, Gorilla Grodd, the large black Gorilla with advanced mental processes like a human, and a vendetta against the Justice league. They were breaking into a history museum. What could they be after?

When the team arrived at the museum, J'onn stepped forward.

"What's the matter, J'onn?" asked Clark.

"For the first time in a long time I am feeling an emotion I am not accustomed to." J'onn replied.

"What's that?" asked Diana.

"Fear," he told them, "I fear something is not right here."

Now everyone felt themselves tense up. If J'onn felt intimidated, something must be very wrong.

They decided to separate into groups and attack from all sides: J'onn and John took the back entrance, Batman and Superman took the left, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl flanked the right, and that left Chelsea and Flash to cover the main entrance. Chelsea was happy to be Wally's partner. She'd never admit it aloud, but in this group, she could only depend on two people to actually look out for her, and lucky for her one always made an attempt to team up with her when the group had to split up.

"You ready?" asked Chelsea.

"I'll be right behind you," he reassured, "You've never been around these guys before so stay alert."

Chelsea walked in casually. It probably wasn't the way one of the others would have tackled the situation, but she didn't want to alert the villains just yet. As she came into what appeared to be a conference room with a large stage, Gorilla Grodd stood at the podium, a toothy grin across his black face, "Good evening," he greeted, "new member of the Justice League. State your name."

Chelsea's eyebrow arched, "Superman asked me what I called myself. Martian Manhunter nicknamed me Little Star. I decided… I'd like to be called Starlight."

He chuckled, "Rightfully so. Everyone's heard of you." spot lights flashed on and there stood all of his subordinates on either side of him, "The girl of light. You are the first evolved form of your race. Congratulations…"

"What're you talking about?" she asked, her voice even, taking glances at everyone who stood upon the stage.

"Child," Grodd started, "I thought it fitting to lead you here, as well as your friends whom I can only assume have us surrounded already," he glanced around the room, "to shed some light on your situation. The natural history museum. You," he pointed at her, "are a brand new mark in history. A rebirth of a race on the verge of extinction because they think themselves superior."

"That's a bold statement from an ape," Chelsea crossed her arms, "If you look further back in history, scientists dictate your superiority has long since been extinct Gorilla Grodd." She said his name with a tensity that caused some of the others to strike a fighting stance.

"Settle," he said. It was unclear whether he was talking to Chelsea or his team, "Getting to my point… did you really think you were so special? To be the only one blessed?" he asked.

The Earth beneath her feet started to quake. That's when she heard what sounded like a bomb blast some distance from here, "Get to your point faster!" yelled Chelsea. That's when she realized he already had. She recalled his choice of words: first. Was Batman right? Were there others like her? Victims of some madman who found some breakthrough in science? Nick and Sam… they weren't the only ones, "Was it you? Did you do this?"

"Heavens no," he laughed, "I wouldn't dream of using such an fragile race in my attempt to create something so much better."

"Chelsea," Superman spoke in her ear, "There are flames everywhere. We have a situation several miles from here. We're going to have to split up further. Stay there with Flash, Hawkgirl and Green Lantern."

"But," spoke Gorilla Grodd, "I did meet the human responsible for your metamorphosis. Brilliant for a mere human. He calls you his number one child. I can even tell you what your intended purpose was."

"I've heard enough," cried Hawkgirl, crashing through the ceiling and rearing back her mace, to charge Grodd. He used some of his mindwaves to distort her thoughts and sent her flying into a wall.

Green Lantern appeared next, trying to contain all of the villains in a large green container. The container caused his brainwaves to effect his subordinates and cause them to crumble to the floor.

Grodd seized his power. Once Green Lantern took down his box of entrapment, Hawkgirl was back on her feet, ready to take another swing at the ape. When the other villains started to get up, they no longer had the use of their hands, "Specially made handcuffs for the super," Flash grinned, standing beside Chelsea now, "Bats thinks of everything doesn't he?"

Chelsea didn't hear his words. In one swift motion she was on the stage standing over Gorilla Grodd who had been knocked down by Hawkgirl. He grabbed onto her arm and pulled her in, whispering something in her ear. Chelsea's face turned pale as her mouth opened from surprise.

"Star! Move!" cried Hawkgirl taking another swing at Grodd.

"Hawkgirl and I will wait until the cops get here and get these guys put away. Go help the others." instructed Green Lantern.

Chelsea was still staring at the ground, trying to figure out Grodd's words.

"Chels, come on!" Flash came up to her, and saw the look of desperation in her face, "What's wrong?"

"We have to get to the others," she said quietly, and took off flying out of the hole Hawkgirl made just moments ago. Instantly Flash was running below her, keeping his eye on her. She was suddenly acting weird, "Superman, the whole thing was staged." Chelsea spoke into the radio, "he separated us on purpose to stretch our numbers. How're you holding up?"

"Actually, it was just an explosive he planted. There aren't any signs of any other villains around. I'm not sure what he was thinking…" Superman replied.

Chelsea landed beside Flash and looked at him confused. It was all a metaphor. The real explosive he planted were the words he whispered in Chelsea's ear. Within moments Chelsea understood. Everything with Gorilla Grodd had a purpose. A much deeper meaning.

"What happened back there?" asked Flash.

"I don't want to talk about it…" Chelsea murmured.

Once everyone was back at headquarters, Chelsea went directly to her room and fell on her bed. Her brain was throbbing. She needed to talk to someone, anyone, but could turn to no one, without them jumping to some conclusion that would turn them against her. She heard a knock at the door, expecting it to be Wally, "Hey Wal, if it's alright, I'd like some time to myself." She opened the door to see the other reliable one at her door instead: Batman. He started to walk off, honoring her wishes of being alone, when she grabbed his arm, "Can I talk to you?"

He came in her room and stood there as she sat down on her bed. She looked like there was a war waging inside of her, "Whatever Grodd told you… it's probably a lie." he said in his usual sultry tone, "He has a tendency to manipulate people with his mind games. You're probably still feeling the effects without realizing it on the conscious level."

She patted a spot beside her on the bed, and he cautiously took a seat, waiting for her to speak, "I hope you're right… but that just seems too good to be true. Why would he seek me out? Why would he gather us there just to grab my attention? The bomb was a metaphor. His only intention was to speak with me. Someone, the person who did this to me, got him to do it."

"Why do any of the asylum bound inmates do what they do? They're not mindfully sound Chelsea. They're sick." He told her, "I won't ask you what he told you, but I will ask that you will not let it cloud your judgment."

Chelsea's expression never changed, "He choose you, your purpose. It's simple: kill the Batman." she reiterated his words exactly. Instantly tears rushed to her eyes, "Some mad man out there," her voice started to tremble with hysterics, "is targeting you and wanted me to be your downfall." she stood up and started pacing in random circles, "What does that even mean? Somewhere down the line am I going to be faced with a situation where your blood is on my hands? I can't do it!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking.

Batman jumped up and pulled her into a tight embrace, "Calm down," he said simply, "you're blowing this way out of proportion." he brushed some of her hair back from sticking to her face, "listen to me," he held her face in his hands, "Even if he's right and the purpose of your power was somehow supposed to affect me, you created a separate purpose for yourself. You have the power to control how you use your strengths."

More tears came dribbling from her eyes, "You mean," she grabbed his hands tight, "so much to me. If I hurt you… after what that big, ugly world has done to you…" she shook her head as her lip quivered, "I…"

Bruce was so conflicted. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to tell her it would be alright. No one had ever cried for him before, much less cried for something that never even happened. The fact that a mere idea caused this girl to break would normally put him off, but it wasn't the violence, it was the fact that it was about him that scared her. She was so genuine through and through, and it cut him right down into the places of himself he forgot long ago. He didn't know what to say.

The door slid open, "Chelsea, I heard you screaming…" Wally stepped into the door to see Batman standing there with her. Batman handed Chelsea over to Wally.

"Take care of her," Batman said, his tone as rough as ever. He walked out the door and it closed behind him, but he didn't move. He was glad Wally stepped in, or he might have done something he would have regretted. Where was his self control when it came to her?

Wally held her, but didn't say a word. She sobbed all of the confusion out and kept her head rested against his chest, "I'm sorry," she kept whispering. She felt like she had put Wally in a very awkward position.

Wally tried to smile, "Bats can be a bully." he joked, "he's made me cry a few times too."

Chelsea sort of laughed, "It wasn't him… he was trying to help, but I don't think he really knows how in regards to a crying girl…"

Wally looked her in the eyes, "Well lookie here, I was right."

"About what?" she asked.

"You're still just as beautiful even after crying," he answered, pushing her matted hair back from her face.

She shook her head at his attempt to flirt with her to make her feel better, "Batman's not the only one that means the world to me…" she thought, wrapping her arms around Wally, "I don't know how I'd get through all of this without you, Wal."

He smiled, "Why don't we go out and get some ice cream? My treat," he winked, as he put his hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the room, "you're paying right?" he asked jokingly.

Batman watched from around the corner of the hallway as Wally and Chelsea started laughing together the way they always did. He'd never felt the emotion of envy before in his life. He had everything: money which solved a lot of his problems, and a roof over his head which was a lot more than most people had, but he didn't have her. Of all people, why was he feeling sort of jealous of Wally? Because he got to walk around with her freely and be open with her? Because Wally got to spend a majority of his time with her? Bruce didn't have that luxury and he knew he put that sort of lifestyle on himself. Why was he having such a hard time concentrating lately?

Batman walked through the monitor room, straight to the landing bay.

"Going home?" asked Clark.

Batman didn't say a word.

When he arrived back home to the Batcave, he instantly flipped his cowl off of his head and sat down in his chair that viewed all of his monitors. His head throbbed incessantly, "Welcome home Master Bruce… long day?" Alfred asked, seeing his friend's face. Bruce looked like he had been through hell.

Bruce's eyes turned to Alfred, "Can I ask you something?"

"Always sir," Alfred said.

"When did you see my father the happiest?" he asked.

Alfred didn't have to think about it, "You mean aside from the day you were born?" he asked, and looked Bruce over, "The day he married your mother I imagine. He loved her more than anything. He wanted to do everything he could to keep her smiling. And she did the same for him. Your parents loved each other very much."

Bruce sighed and rubbed his temples, resting his elbows on his desk.

"Master Bruce… might I make a suggestion?" wondered Alfred.

"Sure," Bruce winced, his head killing him.

"Call her." Alfred said softly, "take her out. Take a night off for yourself."

"You know I can't do that," Bruce replied, "Gotham needs me."

Alfred brought the phone over to Bruce, "I already called Dick and Barbara. They're on watch. Call her." he repeated.

Bruce stared at Alfred with amazement. He already called Robin and Batgirl? What was he up to? Bruce stared at the phone, as Alfred set it down, and walked off to go dust somewhere. It was almost like Bruce was having a staring contest with the phone. He could do this for hours.

Chelsea sat across the booth from Wally who was on his fifth bowl of ice cream, while she was still chipping away at a single scoop ice cream cone. She got a kick out of his speed, "How do you not have a brain freeze?" she asked.

He leaned back with his arms rested on the booth, "It takes talent," he said.

"Thank you, Wally." She said out of no where.

"For what?" he asked.

She thought about it, "I told Clark a while back… that you've always shown so much kindness to me. I just appreciate that."

Wally put his hand on hers that was resting on the table, "You're my number one girl Chels. I'll always have your back." as he spoke he got distracted by a long pair of legs that walked by.

"Are you talking to me or legs over there?" Chelsea asked dryly.

"What did you say?" he asked, looking back to her.

Chelsea sighed, and looked out the window. Why did that bother her just now? Everyone always told her that Wally liked girls more than the average male. She should expect such behavior right? Perhaps it bothered her that for the first time she was seeing it. That for once, she wasn't the center of his attention and it bugged her. She looked back to him, "You've been watching her for a while." she said, "Why don't you try to ask her out?"

Was he making it that obvious earlier? "No, I'll hang out with you tonight. I know you need the company."

She'd have to get used to sharing her time with whoever Wally decided to date eventually anyway, "I think I'm just going to go home for a day or two and relax. Need some non-crime fighting time to unwind and do some art. Go ahead and ask her… she's been watching you too." Chelsea informed him. Which the girl had been. Chelsea had been glancing at her from time to time throughout the duration of their visit there.

Flash stood up and looked to the girl. She waved at him and a big grin appeared on his face, "I owe you so much…" he said, turning back to Chelsea as he squeezed her hand. Quickly he darted over to the bar where the girl now sat, "Hey," he said, taking a seat beside her. As Chelsea walked passed them she heard the girl ask who she was. When the words, "She's my best friend," come out of Wally's mouth she almost threw up. What was her deal?

Chelsea flew from Central City to Gotham. In the air the trip didn't take more than about twenty minutes. All the while she couldn't get Wally off of her mind. She wondered how far that girl would get with Wally. She hoped she wouldn't hurt him. As she entered her apartment she examined the room. Home sweet home. Tossing her key in the bowl by the door she fell onto her couch, put a pillow over her face, and started screaming. Her tantrum was cut short by the phone ringing. She had no idea who could be calling her, but she would let it go to voicemail, "Hey this is Chelsea! I'm not in right now, but if you leave a message I'll get back with you. If this is about an art commission leave your name, number, or email address and I'll return your call as soon as I can. Thanks!"

"Chelsea, it's Bruce Wayne," Bruce's voice cracked. He debated on leaving a voice message, "I was just calling to ask if you wanted to go out sometime? I could dust off those Gray Ghost DVDs if you're interested. Give me a call-" before he could finish his message Chelsea picked up the phone.

"Mr. Wayne- er, Bruce," she breathed, "it's so nice to hear your voice."

He didn't expect her to answer, "You alright? You don't sound okay…" hearing her voice caused him to lean back and relax in his oversized rollie chair. At least it would have seemed oversized if it wasn't for his large frame.

Chelsea let a sigh escape her lips, "Just stupid friends stuff," she tried to laugh it off, "How've you been?"

His mind said miserable, but his mouth said, "Great," he wrapped his finger around the cord on his phone, "Everything's great."

"That's good to hear," she smiled, happy to hear he was doing well.

His eyes flickered to his main monitor and then back to the phone, "I'm still blown away by your artwork." he complimented. He went in there all the time when he needed a moment to be away from the reality of his situation.

"Thanks," she felt herself snuggling up to the phone as she laid there with her legs flipped over the sofa. She looked silly there upside down like that, "Did you need something?"

Bruce swallowed. He never had a hard time asking a woman out before. Probably because it never mattered to him until now, "I was wondering if you'd like to go on a date tonight?"

Chelsea sat up quickly, giving herself a head rush. This was the Bruce Wayne. The man she had fantasizes about for years. Going out on a date, with him!? "I'd love to!" she probably sounded desperate with how much enthusiasm bubbled out of her.

That's when he felt it. A smile spread across his face, "I'll pick you up at about… six?" he asked.

"Sounds great," she replied, glancing at the clock. It was about four-thirty now.

"I'll see you then," he told her, and hung up the phone. He sighed with relief and covered his face with his hands.

"Wow…" stared Dick with wonder.

Bruce shot a glare in his direction.

"I've never seen you act this way before. Who is this girl anyway?" wondered Dick Grayson, who was at the age where he was about to graduate college himself.

Bruce still pictured him as a child, "You have work to do," he told him, "keep watch. I'll be back before midnight." Bruce stomped up the stairs and exited the batcave.

"You're right Alfred," Dick turned to Alfred who had a feather duster in his grasp, "he has no idea how he feels."


	8. Chapter 8

_Her Purpose, His Feelings_

_Part 2_

Chelsea didn't have the slightest clue what to wear on a night out with Gotham's finest playboy. She tried on three different dresses before nearly ripping her hair out. She finally decided on a teal dress with a swoop v-neck. She hoped it didn't reveal too much, but it was hard not to. She was pretty well endowed for her small frame, but did her best not to show it off and look inappropriate. She had flesh colored pantyhose on with white high heels that were an extra inch tall. Beside her, Bruce was already a whole head and a half taller than her. She got lost in thought momentarily thinking about his muscular build and then shook it off quickly.

She put on enough make-up to enhance her features instead of take away from them like some girls did. Before today, Bruce had never seen her with make-up on. She usually went natural. It was just easier that way. She sorted through several different hairstyles and ended up just leaving it down with its natural curl. Between arm wrestling a curling iron and arm wrestling Superman, she'd pick the Man of Steel anyday. As she checked herself in the mirror, she heard a knock at the door and almost tripped on her way to the door.

She opened the door to find Bruce standing there with a black suit on. His tie was crisp, his hair gelled just enough to make sure it held in place, but not enough where it would be a solid piece of crunchtastic black mess. His eyes shined with a deep blue hue. He smiled, showing off his perfect teeth. Perfect, perfect, perfect. Right down to his perfectly shined black shoes.

Chelsea looked down at herself, "Well don't I just look like I've been plucked from a dumpster," she joked.

He begged to differ, "I would have brought you flowers, but thought it was a bit cliche. You deserve better than ordinary." he insisted.

"Oh trust me," she shook her head, "nothing about this is ordinary."

When they got to the limo, Alfred started to open the door for her when Bruce motioned him with his hand, "I've got it," he nodded. Alfred smirked as he went to the driver's side and got in. Chelsea sat down in the seat and Bruce sat beside her. Her nerves crept back in as she wiggled her leg with nervousness. Bruce took note of this, "You seem nervous."

She looked at him, "I've never been in a limousine before. Really, I'm not used to being around the wealthy either. I know there's this stereotypical way you're supposed to act, but I've never been good at being anything other than myself so… I'm torn."

"I admire that about you," he said, "You treat me like I'm… human. There isn't a single thing dark or fake about you. It's refreshing, really." he folded his hands in his lap and looked at her.

Chelsea stared at his eyes for a moment. He had the slightest hint of bags under his eyes. The muscles in his face were tense, like he had a hard day. Those eyes, they reminded her of Batman.

His eyes nervously turned away from her, "What's a day in the life of Chelsea entail?" he wondered.

"Depends on the day," she replied, "At school I'm pretty quiet and keep to myself. I spend a majority of my time in the art room, pouring my heart and emotions into a piece of work. It's my therapy I guess…" she wondered if that made her sound a little crazy, "Otherwise," each member of the Justice League flashed into her mind, "I'm surrounded by a very interesting group of friends."

"I imagine they feel lucky to have you…" he watched the buildings go by outside.

"What about you?" she wondered, "How was your day?"

He had his cheek rested against his knuckles. His lovely eyes turning back to her, "I had a rougher than average experience today." he admitted, and let the conversation die there.

"You going to let me in on where you're taking me, _Mr._ Wayne?" she joked, exaggerating the mister.

"You'll see soon enough. I have a couple places in mind." he watched her for sometime, as she fidgeted in her seat. She looked so beautiful tonight. There were so many things he wished he could say. How was this so easy for Wally? He could laugh with her. Expose himself, and yet, still keep his mask on all at the same time. Bruce was only exposed like a nerve, "You're beautiful, you know?"

She looked at him, caught off guard by his words, "I'm not sure that's how the passerbyers will see it," she looked him up and down, "I don't know if you've noticed, but you're carved like a God."

He'd never heard that one before. His head tilted slightly.

"Too forward?" she asked, "I apologize. I tend to do that. It makes people uncomfortable."

"I appreciate the honesty," he told her, "You never have to apologize for who you are. I happen to like your bold approach."

"Sweetheart," she leaned back and smiled nervously, "you haven't seen nothing yet."

His face instantly lit up with enthusiasm, "Good to know." he smiled, and placed his large hand overtop of hers, running his thumb across it gently. His fingers had such a sandpaper feel. She felt such sympathy for him. He worked so hard, "Ah, we're here." he said.

Bruce got out of the limousine when Alfred opened the door. He then held his hand out to Chelsea to help her out of the vehicle. It was a large restaurant, with a velvet red carpet leading up to the front door. "Fancy," Chelsea murmured.

"It's actually pretty low-key. I didn't want to overwhelm you on the first date." Bruce admitted, as he placed his arm around her waist and guided her forward.

His words echoed in her mind, _"First date?"_ she thought to herself.

The moment Bruce walked in everyone's eyes were on him. Women shot glares at Chelsea like daggers. There was obviously an age difference between her and Bruce. From what she calculated, probably almost an eleven year difference. She started to feel a little bit like a hussy, but shook the thought off. Bruce was a better man than that. He didn't see her that way. She knew better. As for the rest and what they thought? She could care less. As they took a seat at a small table for two, their waiter scurried off to fetch only the finest champagne for Bruce Wayne. It arrived already chilled, with two glasses.

"Woah," Chelsea murmured, looking at the prices in the menus instead of the meals themselves, "No dollar menu here…" she joked.

He tilted his head, "Does it make you uncomfortable? We can go elsewhere," he poured each of them a glass of champagne.

"Oh no, it's not that I'm not grateful, it's just going to cost you a small fortune to pay for this…" Chelsea said biting her cheek. Not to mention half the menu was in French and she had a hard enough time with English. She was more fluent in sarcasm than anything, but that certainly wouldn't help here!

Bruce chuckled as he took a drink, "I've got to admit, none of my date's have ever acted concerned about the amount of money I spend on them."

"It's not your job to lavish me with such things. I just want to spend time with you." She said sincerely.

He reached across the table and tucked some hair behind her ear, "I don't mind when it comes to you. Humor me?"

She blushed, "Only if you can help me read the menu."

He leaned over closer to her to help her, pointing to each thing, saying it in French and then translating it in English. Almost like he was giving her a small lesson. She was captivated by his low, gentle tone. She watched his eyes the whole time, not really hearing a word he was saying. She tapped back in to catch the last half of what he was saying. By this time, her face was intensified with feelings she had not felt before. Goose bumps coated her arms. Perhaps she could request a phone book and he could read her that as well.

The waiter walked up to take their order, "Yes, I'll take the roast duck," Bruce inquired, "and she'll take the slow cooked turkey, served with a side of boiled vegetables." when the waiter walked away with the menus, his eyes turned back to her.

"How did you know what I wanted?" she asked.

"I didn't," he leaned forward, a grin on his face as he took another sip of his champagne, "but I figured it was more than you knew."

Chelsea hadn't touched her glass yet. She was afraid she'd break the glass or something. It felt like there was liquid gold inside. She swirled the liquid around in her glass and took a sip. The taste started out smooth and ended bitter. She wasn't much of a drinker, but it was champagne. If Bruce could finish a whole bottle of this on his own, they'd have some problems. When Chelsea looked up from her glass, Bruce watched her every move carefully and curiously. Like everything she did was something he was learning about her.

She couldn't speak. She wanted to say something, but she was too wrapped up, taking it all in. The whole atmosphere around her was so romantic. That's when a pair of breasts walked up to the table. Legs was probably her name, "Brucey! I didn't know you were coming here tonight!" she made sure she was loud enough to draw attention to herself. Which really wasn't necessary, "I see you're doing some charity work. Perhaps from the _Make a Wish_ foundation?" she asked, her eyes cutting into Chelsea as she laughed this obnoxious laugh.

Chelsea set her glass down quietly and started to mock her incessant laughter, then smiled, "You're too funny." She raised her glass to the woman, "Tell me, how much charity did you have to do to buy those two ladies you're lugging around on your chest?" she gestured toward her chest and tossed back the rest of her drink with a bold confidence as she gently set her glass down and flashed the girl a large smile.

"Well I never!" cried the woman, placing her hand on her chest.

"Speaking of which, one of them is coming out to say hi!" Chelsea said, lacing her fingers together and placing her chin on them innocently.

The lady embarrassingly readjusted her top, but it really didn't make much of a difference, "My daddy could have your ass!" she barked.

"Quite the mouth on this one," Chelsea said as she looked to Bruce who was so blown away by what was going on he couldn't speak, "And now," she looked to the woman with a fake confused expression, "how many daddy's have had your ass?"

There was some laughter being heard from the surrounding tables. Most of the people in the room were glad to see the snobby lady get a taste of her own medicine. Bruce finally stepped in, as he snapped his fingers at the waiter, "Make sure she's never allowed in here again." he instructed.

The girl was kindly escorted out and Chelsea waved to her as she went by. She then looked at Bruce, "You can do that?" she asked with a laugh.

"Of course I can," he said, his eyebrow arched, "I own this place."

Chelsea let that thought settle in her brain and instantly filled her glass with more champagne. She held her glass up to the table nearby theirs and took another sip. A man walked up to the table shortly after, "My, my you have quite the firecracker here, Bruce." he winked in her direction and looked back to Bruce, "She's a keeper."

"We'll see," Bruce joked as he winked at Chelsea.

Her heart instantly melted when he winked at her. She was turning to mush. Of course that girl was jealous. Who wouldn't be? She was out on a date with Bruce Wayne! When the man walked away after some witty banter and business discussion with Bruce, Chelsea tilted her head at him.

"What?" he wondered.

"You poor thing… you have women clawing at your heels and men trying to make deals with you, when all you want to do is eat a meal." She looked at him saddened.

"Why do you think I'm out with you?" he asked, "You're the sanest individual here," he said refilling his glass.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you before. She was asking for it though…" she huffed.

"What did I say about apologizing for who you are?" He shook his head, "I thought it was amazing. Most girls would have gotten offended and retreated to the restroom while I sat here handling it on my own, choking on her…" He stopped himself from saying something vulgar, "charming personality." He corrected, grinning.

Chelsea grabbed his hand from across the table and ran her fingers across the back of it. Her hands were so soft. He felt enticed by this tender gesture. As he curled his fingers around her hand in response he looked into her eyes, a more natural smile taking the place of his cocky, sarcastic one from before, "Oh where have you been?" he murmured. Before she could really respond, he stood up and helped her to her feet.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Well," he said, guiding her elsewhere, "if your dancing is as good as your French, this should prove to be quite entertaining above everything else." he lead her out onto a wooden floor. There was some singer on the stage. Chelsea recognized him. She had a very vast recollection for music. Being a very avid fanatic of the art of music she knew many artists. The man could best be described as a reincarnation of Frank Sinatra himself. The big brass ensemble really brought out the magic of "_Fly Me to the Moon_". Surprisingly Chelsea kept up with Bruce's footwork fairly well.

"And you thought I'd be bad at this. The joke's on you. As an art major I was required to take a dance class," she wasn't graceful in the least bit, but she could hold her own without making herself look anymore terrible.

He chuckled at her statement, "I stand corrected then," he pulled her in close when the last line of the song was sung, _"In other words, please be truuuuee,"_ the singer stretched the word,_ "in other words, in other words… I, looove…"_ there was a couple taps on the piano,_ "you!"_ Their faces were inches apart now, looking into each others' eyes. Chelsea opened her mouth to speak, and Bruce pulled back, letting a smile reappear on his lips.

As they made their way back over to their table in silence, their food was being delivered, "Perfect timing." Chelsea said to break the silence.

As they ate Bruce felt himself wanting to ask her questions, "Tell me about your interesting friends…"

Chelsea swallowed her bite, "Well, while I'm close to all of them, I consider two of them to be of the utmost importance."

"Oh really?" he wondered, "Tell me about them."

"Well, they're both boys." She started.

"Competition," he joked, taking a sip of his champagne.

"They're total opposites," she shook her head, "One is sort of obnoxious and silly. His name is Wally, but he's a real sweetie and has a great heart. We do a lot together. He's my have fun and hang out sort of friend." she took another bite of her food.

Bruce expected Wally's name to come up. Any member of the Justice League who didn't would be considered a fool, "And the other?"

Chelsea laughed, just now realizing the irony, "Well he probably doesn't see it the same way I do, but ironically his name is Bruce as well," she informed him. Bruce wasn't expecting his name to be brought up in the least bit, "he means so much to me. I think I value his opinion over everyone else's. He's quiet and reserved. Probably the dark horse of the group… but I'm just so amazed by him. He's like a work of art."

Bruce lost his grip on his fork momentarily and caught it before it made too much of a clammer on the table, "You speak highly of him."

"I admire him," she nodded, thinking of Batman, "He's been hurt so much…" she shook her head, "I wish I could help him… but he doesn't want anyone's help. He prefers being alone."

Bruce stared at his glass thoughtfully, "If he spent more time with you, I bet he'd change his mind…" it was almost like he came to a realization just now about himself. He quietly finished the rest of his meal.

As they exited the restaurant and got back into the limousine, Chelsea wondered where they were headed, "Where to now my knight in shining armor?" she joked.

The dark knight smiled at her, "Some place I think you'll really appreciate." They pulled up to a building about ten minutes later. When they got out, they entered the building in silence. Chelsea wasn't quite sure where they were going. When they entered the building the lights flashed on. They were the only ones here. It was an art gallery.

"Wow," Chelsea was amazed she had never been here before. As she examined each piece quietly she was awestruck by all of the detail. When they entered another room, Chelsea paused, her eyes widening from what stared back at her. Plastered on a canvas, was a photograph of her piece _Gotham's Guardian_ stretched all the way across the wall in one piece. She gasped, unable to speak.

"I should have asked you first I know," he told her, "but I thought it might work in my favor if I showed you instead."

Chelsea looked back at him, her eyes sparkling with the hint of tears, "I… I never expected this. I'm so honored." she was humbled by what Bruce had done for her.

"I had hoped it would gain you some recognition." He admitted.

She wrapped her arm around him and rested her head against his arm, "Thank you…"

Bruce breathed as he ran his fingers through her long, golden locks, "No… thank you."

When they got into the limousine, they both had the same emotion. Emptiness. They weren't ready for the night to end, but it was getting late, and soon reality would set back in for the Dark Knight who wished upon Starlight to guide him. As they sat in the silence, Chelsea tried to break the ice, "I'm still up for coming by sometime to watch Gray Ghost with you."

"Perhaps if you give me the honor of a second date, I can have that arranged," he smiled, taking her hand in his once more. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled this much. Guiding her up to her apartment he tilted his head, "Home sweet home," he said, unsure of what to say. Thinking it over as he continued to hold her hands, he stared at them thoughtfully as he suddenly grew serious, "I have to thank you…"

"For what?" she asked.

"It's going to sound… pathetic…" he admitted, "but I've never had this much… fun before. You treat me like a person. No one has ever-" he couldn't find the words, "Well except for Alfred no one has ever-" he couldn't form the words. He sighed and looked into her eyes, a saddened expression appeared on her face.

Chelsea saw his face fall and it shattered something in her, "Bruce, you're wonderful. You're a great person. If anyone says any different they don't deserve even a glance from you."

He started to pull away, "You should get some rest." he nodded, "Goodnight… Chelsea." he said her name so softly, like he was speaking poetry.

Chelsea grabbed for his arm and pulled him back, pulling his head roughly against hers she claimed his lips with a warmth and wetness he didn't expect, but without any hesitation felt himself push her up against her door. He was submitting to this rush he suddenly felt. His heart was pounding in his chest. He knew in that instant that this was what being alive felt like. He ran his fingers through her hair, down to her hips and pushed her roughly against the door as his lips nibbled and teased hers. He heard his mind telling him to stop, but everything else wanted more. He wanted all of her right now, and it took everything. Every fiber of his being not to make this the single most romantic evening of his life. His consciousness stepped back in as he released her lips.

Their eyes were searching inside each others as he started to lean forward and go another round when the visions of Batman and his parents flashed in his mind and he pulled back. He stood there, trembling for the first time since he could remember. He didn't know what to say.

Chelsea touched his cheek, "I was hoping… I could get you to smile."

He kissed her palm, then nuzzled at it weakly, "I should go…" he said to her, while he still had control over his actions again.

"Alright," she stood on her tip-toes to kiss his forehead, "Goodnight… Bruce." she entered her apartment and closed the door behind her. Falling against the door she felt stupid. She shouldn't have kissed him. It seemed to only make things worse.

Bruce stared at her door for a few minutes. His hand reached for the doorknob, but he pulled his hand away and walked off.

The whole car ride home he didn't say a word. Alfred kept looking at him through the rearview mirror. He had such a great time, but now looked even more miserable as he stared out of the window in silence. Alfred wanted to say something. He wanted to tell him to be with her. He wanted Bruce to be free. Free from this cage he put himself in. Free from this life he chose. He deserved so much more than to feel so lifeless day in and day out.

The next day Chelsea returned to the Watch Tower. She still had so much on her mind, but she didn't want to be alone anymore. When she came into the monitor room, Wonder Woman stood behind J'onn as he showed her something on the monitors, "Welcome home, Chelsea." She smiled.

Chelsea half smiled. It was nice to hear that, but she was really conflicted. Perhaps some girl talk would ease her mind. She motioned for Wonder Woman to come over to her and they escaped to Wonder Woman's room to speak one on one, "What is it, hun? Did something happen?"

"I went out on a date last night," she told her.

"Is that why Wally didn't come back until late?" she asked.

Chelsea's heart sank. She hadn't even thought about how Wally's date went, "No," her eyebrows scrunched, surprised Diana just assumed it was Wally.

"Oh… with who?" Diana was shocked.

"Bruce Wayne," she told her.

Diana was awestruck. She went out on a date with Batman? Why did she look like her puppy had been hit by a car? Did he perhaps break it to her who he really was? "Yeah?" she asked.

"We had a great time…" Chelsea admitted, "he was charming, romantic… perfect."

"But?" Diana frowned.

"We kissed," Chelsea admitted, "it was amazing…" she shook her head, "but I think I messed things up somehow…"

Diana stared at her shocked, "Chelsea… I think there's something you should know about-" Diana bit her tongue.

"About what?" asked Chelsea with concern.

There was a knock at Wonder Woman's door, "Diana, are you in?" asked Clark. He didn't use his x-ray vision on a constant basis. He had enough respect to everyone's privacy.

Diana sighed, "Yep, be out in a second." She smiled at Chelsea hopeful, "We'll continue this conversation later, k?" with that she walked out of the room and wandered off with Superman. Chelsea exited the room shortly after and started down the hall to her room. When she turned the corner, she bumped into someone. He caught her before she fell.

She looked up to see Wally, "Hey Wal," she greeted.

"Hey," he smiled, pulling her back up to a standing position, "Good to see you home."

"How was your date?" asked Chelsea, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Eh," shrugged Wally, "she turned out to be a real bore. She really didn't have much of a personality. I started to feel bad. I shouldn't have left you by yourself after the day you had, had." he read Chelsea's expression, "Or maybe you weren't alone last night?"

Chelsea half-smiled at him.

"Look at you!" he laughed, "Who's the lucky guy?" he wondered.

She shrugged it off, "I went out to dinner with Bruce Wayne. It was just a simple dinner. No harm."

Wally's expression fell, "Bruce Wayne?" he asked. Something in him grew envious. He wasn't quite sure why.

"Yeah," she nodded, acting like it was no big deal.

"Did… something happen between you two?" he wondered, "Not that it's really any of my business…" he looked away, still curious to hear her answer.

"We shared a kiss," she admitted.

Wally's eyes grew with shock, "A kiss?"

Chelsea tilted her head, "I don't think I should have kissed him… I think I upset him so… I might not hear from him again." she looked at the floor, "So I guess neither of us had successful dates in the long run." she laughed it off, "You wanna play a game? I'm willing to put my faith in your partnership against the walking dead." she nudged him.

"Sure," he said softly. As she walked passed him, his eyes darted back and forth. It was like someone shed some light on his dimwitted thought process. Suddenly he knew, "Chels," he said into the open air, "could I…?" he turned to her, "could I take you out sometime?"

Chelsea looked at him with some surprise, and then smiled, "Sure."

He couldn't breathe. Why didn't he notice before? Was he really as dumb as everyone said? No, he had never felt this way before. How was he to know? He was so in love with her. It hit him all at once. His body practically melted into the floor when she agreed to give him a chance. A chance to prove he was better than some rich dude who could lavish her with gifts and green. When he came up beside her, he took her hand in his and smiled. This Bruce guy was missing out on the woman of a lifetime. He would not make the same mistake.


	9. Chapter 9

_Fastest Man Alive_

_Froze in the Moment_

Early the next day Chelsea woke up unusually early. Once or twice a week she usually went into the rec room and did some hand-eye coordination training or practiced her combat on a punching bag. She wandered to the monitor room, and almost instantly after, Batman walked in from the landing bay. When he laid eyes on her he felt an unusual ache coming from his chest. She was still as beautiful as ever dressed in her shorts and a tank top, like she still hadn't changed out of her pajamas yet, "Good morning, Batman." she said cheerfully.

His reflex caused a small, unnoticeable smile to appear on his face, "Why are you up so early?" he asked.

"I had a rough night trying to sleep," she shrugged, "I could actually use your help on something. You mind me borrowing some of your time?" she wondered.

"What do you need?" he replied.

Chelsea lead him to the rec room. He glanced around, "Wally is the one to ask for games," he told her.

Chelsea shook her head, "I want you to help me train some. I've been having Wally help me with my speed and accuracy. You're the best physical fighter on the team so I thought I'd ask you for some pointers."

He stared at her thoughtfully. He never thought it'd be rough on him to throw a punch at anyone, but the idea of taking a chance of actually hurting her didn't tickle his fancy. His tongue ran across his teeth, "Alright." he agreed.

The two started to spar with each other. Neither of them using their full strength. He would teach her a better way to avoid certain moves and even more so showed her how to counter almost any blow. As she went to throw a punch at him, he grabbed her arm and jerked her forward, bringing their faces very close together. Chelsea stared up into his eyes, and he hesitantly pulled away, turning his back on her.

"Hey sweetheart," she murmured, "You alright?"

His heart cracked, "Peachy." he exhaled.

She came around to his front and half-smiled, "I really appreciate you helping me, Batman. I think out of everyone here, you need this the most." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and embraced him firmly. It took everything out of him not to hold her. He felt his head lean against hers momentarily, but fought back the urge.

Without another word he exited the room. Chelsea sighed and leaned against the ball rack, which was very stupid for the fact that, it had wheels. She fell flat on her back, making sure to catch her head so it wouldn't smack the hardwood floor. Wally walked in shortly after to find her laying on the ground.

"Playing a new game?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded, "It's called _Gravity is a Bitch_…"

He laughed and helped her to her feet, "I remember when I first learned how to stand." he said sarcastically.

She shook her head and tossed a ball at him, "Always have an answer for everything, huh Wal?"

"I was wondering if you had an answer for me," he grinned, catching her pass with ease.

"Hmm?" she asked, not sure what he was talking about.

"I actually had the perfect idea. Riddle me this, Batman," he joked, tossing the ball back to her, "Who's the Gotham Knights playing tonight?"

Chelsea thought about it, "The Central Comets," she said, then smirked. Noticing what he was getting at, "Ah, my team versus your team, eh?"

"Now," he started, catching the ball as she passed it back to him, "I have two tickets to the game tonight… and if I recall, if I'm doing my math right," he started drawing in the air with his right index finger, "Carry the two… ah yep," he nodded, "there's two of us."

She laughed at his cheesy humor, "I think you're correct."

"So," he appeared in front of her instantly, brushing some hair back behind her ear, "Can I take you?" his tone was serious.

Chelsea's expression softened, "I'd love to go with you Wally. It sounds like a great time."

"Awesome," he acted like he was wiping sweat away from his brow, "I was actually really nervous about that for some reason."

She snickered at him and kissed him on the cheek, "You're adorable." she pushed the basketball against his belly, "come on, I'll cook you some breakfast. I know you love pancakes."

"Your pancakes? I could eat them like clockwork," he admitted, following her out of the rec room, tossing the basketball over his shoulder.

Bruce was doing some routine paperwork in the monitor room for J'onn while he rested. He was trying to keep himself busy so he wouldn't think about what just happened with Chelsea, but she never left his mind. Clark approached Bruce, and leaned against the wall, "So I heard someone had a date a couple days ago?"

Bruce's stare was rigid and cold. His eyes went back down to the paper as he started to translate information from graphs and diagrams into written word.

"Bad time?" Clark asked, "Look, I know you've got a thing for her. The others don't see it. Heck, I'm not even sure she does, but I know you. You know I do, and you-" he paused when Batman looked back at him. His cold stare even gave the Man of Steel chills.

"Whatever idiotic ideas you were about to purpose, I suggest you bite your tongue," Bruce growled.

Clark sighed, "Alright," he should have known better than to try to have a normal conversation with someone so incapable of doing so. Bruce was lucky Chelsea put up with his temperament. Not many people had the energy to even try, "but just so you know…" he thought it was necessary to give him a head's up, "Wally's asking her out sometime today… to go to a football game I think…"

Bruce's hand stopped moving across the page, leaving a deeper, wider ink mark where he stopped. He didn't say a word. He just stared at the page. Sure, nothing between her and Bruce was exclusive, but it had only been a couple days. Did he really leave such a fleeting impression on her? The way their evening ended. He probably made her feel awful. He started to rub his forehead and exhaled deeply.

Clark patted Bruce on the shoulder and wandered off. It was best to let working Bats concentrate. They had a mutual understanding of one another. And despite what Bruce would say, he had Clark's back the same way Clark had his.

"You ready?" asked Chelsea.

"Lay it on me." replied Wally. She used some fancy spatula work to flip three pancakes over her shoulder. He caught them all with ease, "Oh baby," he said, splashing them with syrup. This was already his fifth serving, but Chelsea never seemed to mind making an extended amount of food for him. She understood that with how his body functioned he needed the excessive amount of calorie intake to sustain a healthy metabolism. Chelsea sat down at the bar across from him and started to eat her pancakes.

"Man, that game is going to be great tonight," Chelsea reflected on it, taking a bite of her food, "Thanks for inviting me."

"There's no one I'd rather spend the evening with," it was the truth. Now that Wally was consciously aware of his feelings for her, he wanted to spend all of his time with her. Would any other girl make him pancakes? They probably wouldn't know how. And they definitely wouldn't understand why he needed so many. Would another girl play video games with him and watch old movies with him every Friday night? Perhaps, but not the way Chelsea did it. No one even came close to comparing to her in his life. He wanted her to feel the same way about him.

Chelsea wondered what the others would think. Going on a date with someone you work with all day and every day. It might make the others worry. Then again nothing was official yet. It was just a date. They weren't boyfriend and girlfriend. Plus if someone decided to rag on her she'd just mention the odd chemistry going on between Hawkgirl and GL no one else seemed to notice.

The hours ticked by and the game was fastly approaching. Unlike her last date Chelsea didn't struggle with what to wear as much. Going out on a date with Wally was like going on a date with her best friend. She wasn't all that nervous about it. She honored him with the same respect she gave Bruce and wore enough make-up to enhance her features. For clothes, she tossed on her favorite Gotham Knight's jersey. Their colors were black and blue. She wore a pair of jeans with black converse to complete the look. She put her hair up in a long cascading ponytail and slipped her matching cap on her head.

As she started for her door she saw there had been a note slipped under it, _"Meet me at the ice cream parlor in thirty. -Wally."_

She thought that was strange. Why couldn't they just fly down to Earth together and walk to the stadium. That's when it hit her that when it came to the Flash, walking wasn't exactly his style. What was he up to? She entered the monitor room to say goodbye to everyone before she left.

Clark looked her up and down, "Well don't you look cute?" she looked pretty, even in her oversized jersey.

"Go Gotham Knights!" she cheered, with a smile.

"You look excited," Diana said, crossing her arms.

"Pumped," she nodded.

"Where's Wally?" John Stewart asked.

"I don't know. He's being all secretive. Told me to meet him at our ice cream place here in a bit." She shrugged.

"Are you nervous? Isn't this your first official date with him?" asked Diana, her eyes flickering over to Batman who watched them all quietly.

"Eh, it's Wally." Chelsea wasn't worried. They always spent time together.

"Yeah, but it's date Wally," teased Hawkgirl nudging at her.

Chelsea didn't look at it that way, "I guess I'm going to find out." she laughed, "I'll see you guys later tonight."

"Or maybe you won't." Hawkgirl said again with a raise and lower of her eyebrows. John laughed at her expression.

Her hand grazed the back of Batman's shoulders when she went by, "See ya Batman. Have a safe trip back home if I don't see you." She turned back to everyone and waved, "See ya guys!" she yelled, "Oh! and Shayera! Don't think I don't know about those late night swims with Johnny cake!" with that left hanging in the air she was gone.

Green Lantern's and Hawkgirl's faces glowed red with embarrassment.

Clark came over to Bruce and patted him on the back again, "How're you holding up?"

Batman looked up at Clark in a way he never had before: pained. It pained him to let her walk out. It pained him to think of her with another man; especially Wally West! "If he hurts her…" Batman murmured, "he'd better run as far from me as he can."

Chelsea walked into the ice cream parlor right on the dot. Flying there took about fifteen minutes, at least at the speed she took. When she came in she looked around and didn't spot Wally. Perhaps he was running late? The irony continued to bubble inside her head as she curiously walked around the parlor, "You meeting someone here?" asked a familiar voice. So Wally was here. When she turned around though she didn't see a guy in a red suit with a lightning bolt on his chest. Instead she saw a guy with short red hair, a familiar smirk, and Comets gear on. He stood up from the both and opened his arms, "So what do you think?"

"Wally?" she asked, shocked he revealed his true identity to her. That took a lot of trust.

"Wally West," he corrected, and pulled her into an embrace, "I'm glad you came."

Chelsea rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his body. She had never noticed before just how muscular his frame was. He wasn't built like Batman or Superman or even Green Lantern. Wally's limbs were long, tight, and powerful. Wally was, just Wally. He was goofy, sweet, and had the heart of a lion. She pulled away from him, "Come on, we're going to be late for the game."

He laughed at her logic, "Please," he shook his head, "I haven't been late to anything since detention of senior year in high school."

The game was about to start. When they found their seats they sat down. Wally rested his arm on the back of Chelsea's chair, "Are you excited or what?" he asked, pumping her up.

"I'm so excited," she snickered, "Your team is going down." she taunted with a wink.

"Just saying," he raised his hand in defense, "We're surrounded by more red."

"The Comets are at home. What do you expect?" Chelsea shook her head and watched the pregame festivities. When she turned back to Wally he already had a bucket of popcorn and a hotdog half eaten. She reached in the bucket for some popcorn and smiled at him. With his free hand he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close. She looked adorable in her Knights gear. His fingers swirled through her long ponytail, as he admired the softness of her hair.

When the game started, a bad call was already made on the Knights, "BS call!" Chelsea said to Wally, "Bunch of cheaters with homefield advantage. Even the refs are rigged!"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. Her passion for the things she loved could not be topped, "Just because the refs made the right call doesn't mean you have the right to get mad at them and be biased." he retorted.

She pointed to the instant replay, "It's as clear as day!"

He leaned forward and watched it for himself, "Nope." he said simply, messing with her further.

Suddenly a guy broke free and was endzone bound, "Touchdown Knights!" cried the announcer.

Chelsea jumped up from her seat, cheering for her team and then gestured at the number on her back. Her guy made the play that got them the points on the board. Sitting back down she raised her eyebrow at Wally in a cocky manner and then popped some more popcorn in her mouth.

"You're so beautiful," he told her.

She looked at him surprised. He had never said it to her in that tone before. He had called her beautiful before, but for some reason it was different this time, "Wally…"

"Are there any beautiful couples out there tonight?" asked the announcer as the kiss cam made its rounds around the crowd. The camera man spotted Chelsea with Wally's arm around her, "Uh oh, we got ourselves a couple who has fans on either side of the ball tonight."

Wally noticed the camera landed on them and raised his eyebrow. Chelsea's face turned red as he cupped her cheeks in his palms and planted a kiss on her lips that seemed to linger. It gave her chills. When he pulled away, he looked into her eyes, "Oh wow…" she mumbled. The last time they kissed was the first day they met. Now here they were kissing again. It hit her. If they started dating and something happened, wouldn't it complicate things? What if they got into a fight? She could lose her best friend. But that kiss. It made her stomach brew with butterflies.

Wally looked back at her and she leaned in to kiss him again. He welcomed it openly, pulling her closer to him. He could hear his heart pulsing in his eardrums. He was glad he hadn't overstepped his bounds by kissing her before and what's more, she wanted another.

Chelsea didn't know why this felt so easy. Why it felt like they had been this way all along. Her heart fluttered as she leaned against him and continued to watch the game, still a bit dazed from all the excitement inside her body.

The game went into overtime.

The final score of the game:

Knights 28

Comets 21

Chelsea walked out of the stadium with a huge grin plastered across her face. Wally couldn't be upset. He was too happy about the moment they had. He wasn't ready to go back to the Watch Tower. Not yet.

"I've never been to your place," Wally mentioned.

"It's a mess, are you sure you want to subject yourself to that?" she joked.

"I want to see," he said with a nod, "I've never seen your art." which surprised him, because she was always drawing in her sketchbook with her free time.

Chelsea led the way to her apartment. Opening the door she tossed her keys in the bowl and flopped down on the couch. Wally was shocked. So many pieces of art lined the west wall. he examined each one carefully, "You're so talented." he breathed, "Why did you want to be a Justice League member over this?"

"I still do my artwork," she told him, "I enjoy doing both. It's a lot of fun for me."

Wally spotted a familiar figure on one of the large canvases. There was Batman shooting his grappling hook in an alleyway it appeared, "You really like Batman don't you?"

Chelsea raised an eyebrow, "I look up to him Wally. I have for years. Without doing so directly, he's gotten me through a lot of tough stuff." She flipped through some of her canvases and revealed a very colorful image she had done of Wally running. The streaking lines of motion left such a beautiful effect across the canvas, "I draw pictures of you too, all the time." she showed him the canvas.

"That's sweet!" he grinned, "Man, how do you do that?"

"It's all in the wrist," she joked, and flopped down on the arm chair.

He sat down on her couch and stared at her thoughtfully.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I'm just so amazed by you," he ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head, "You're so wonderful and perfect. How hasn't a guy not snatched you up yet? It just doesn't make sense. I've never met a girl so good hearted in all of my life."

"Perhaps you didn't look hard enough," she told him.

"I don't have to look any further with you here now," he said, leaning forward with his elbows rested on his knees.

She looked at him. The look in his eyes were so genuine. She saw the glint in his eyes. He wanted to kiss her again, badly. She wanted him to kiss her too, but it was so weird that it wasn't weird. They had a strong bond from the moment they met, but they had always been friends with harmless flirtation here and there. Now, she was almost seeing everything differently as she moved from the chair, to straddling his lap, and finding her lips against his once more.

They kissed for a good long while, taking moments to just look at each other and touch one another to make sure it wasn't just a dream. Wally was on his best behavior, and told himself not to take things too quickly with her. She deserved all the time and patience in the world. He was just happy to be sharing this moment with her.

They laid together on the couch, wrapped up in one another, "Think we should head back?" she asked.

He raised his shoulder, "We did tell them we'd be back tonight." He slowly stood up and helped her to her feet, "I had a great time with you."

"Me too," she agreed, "but can I ask you something? As friend Chelsea now?" she wondered, walking out of the apartment with him.

"Sure," he said, rubbing his nose, "Chels, you should see the girl I got to make out with tonight! Hawt~!" he joked, pulling her close to him as they walked.

"Does this seem-?" she started to ask.

"Totally normal?" he finished.

"Right?" they both said in unison.

"It's so weird that this isn't weird." she shook her head.

"Don't over think it." he waved it off, "I had a great time."

"We always have a good time, don't we?" she said, pulling her arm around him and planting a kiss on his cheek, "Hey Wal?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You're my best friend." Chelsea smiled.

"You're my best friend," he repeated back to her, "As well as my hottest friend. Just letting you know."

She laughed and roughed up his ginger hair, realizing that soon he'd be back in his uniform and life would go back to normal. It was nice to have such a carefree evening with Wally. It was always so carefree with him. She didn't have to overthink. He made everything fun.

When they arrived back at the Watch Tower, Chelsea stepped out into the landing bay, allowing Wally to change in the aircraft. It didn't take him but a split second to have his uniform back on and he was by her side once more, "You ever think about getting yourself a uniform?" he asked her, as they walked into the monitor room together.

"Sometimes," she raised her shoulder, "I'm pretty good with designing stuff so it wouldn't be that hard."

"They're back," Clark said, standing up from the table.

"How'd it go?" asked Diana. Everyone leaned in with anticipation.

Chelsea noticed immediately that Batman was no longer around, "We had a great time. My team won in OT." she elbowed Wally.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, staring at her longingly with a shy smile.

The others were expecting some sort of official news about them becoming an item. They were already so close with each other, but it appeared as if nothing had changed.

"Want to watch a movie?" Chelsea asked Wally.

"Your place or mine?" he wondered, as they walked out of the room together and started down the hallway.

"So… anyone notice anything different?" John Stewart wondered.

"No," Diana murmured, "but I think that's the point."

Chelsea changed into some pajamas and flopped down on her couch she had in her room. She was wearing some boy shorts and a tank top that exposed her belly slightly. Striping the ponytail holder from her hair she flipped her hair forward and then back. When her hair flipped back Wally walked in. He watched her movements, and examined her up and down. He couldn't get over it. He'd never been on a date with a girl so beautiful, inside and out.

"What do you want to watch?" she asked, running her fingers through her hair.

He walked over to her and planted a kiss on her forehead, and then her lips, slowly and softly, "You." he answered.

She shook her head in disbelief, "What do you really want to watch?"

He sat down beside her, "You pick," he spread his arms across the back of the couch.

Chelsea moved to the floor to sift through her collection, "Ever see _The Princess Bride_?"

"Chick flick?" he asked.

"Not really, actually." Chelsea answered, "It has all the goods: knights, giants, romance, comedy… a little something for everyone."

"I'm game," he agreed.

She put the disc into her Xbox and let the previews run. Chelsea sat back down beside him on the couch and grabbed her Xbox controller to start the movie. Chelsea looked him over, "Give me your feet."

He'd never heard that pick up line before, "Wha-?"

"Your feet," she patted her lap. He laid sideways on the couch, resting his feet on her lap. She started to massage them. Wally instantly melted. It felt heavenly. It was odd with how much he ran around and yet never once received a foot massage.

"You don't have to-" he started to say, but groaned mid-sentence, "but please continue." Did his feet hurt that much or did she just make it feel that good? What was the best way to describe her? A princess? A queen? He felt like such a pauper in comparison.

Her thumbs kneaded at the arches of his feet as her hands moved gently up to his toes and then back down again, "Do I need to apply more pressure?"

"You're perfect," he moaned. He wasn't referring to the foot massage.

She smiled, satisfied. Wally did so much for her without even realizing it. This was her way of paying him back for his undivided support, "Have you ever had a foot massage before?"

"No," he shook his head weakly, his head tilted back over the arm of the couch, "how did you get so talented?"

"I think it's the artist hands," she joked, her attention redirected toward the television.

"Chelsea?" he cooed softly.

"Yeah?" she wondered, looking back at him.

"I hope… you'll let me take you out again." he admitted.

"Foot massage that good?" she laughed.

"I mean it… I've never had a day like today. I've never enjoyed myself this much. With you… everything's so easy. Everything is clear. I feel like the world slows down and I get to enjoy the sweetest person to ever walk into my fast-paced life." He spoke so sincerely.

"Next time," she said, "I'll take you out. Deal?" she asked.

"Deal," he nodded, a smile playing across his lips.


	10. Chapter 10

_Look After You_

Chelsea had returned home once more to attend to her classes. She stayed late on campus because she was so fixated on a piece she was working on. Utilizing the layering effects of watercolor, she made an image on the page that showed Batman standing in front of the large grinning mouth of The Joker, with jagged _"ha ha ha's"_ all around him. When she glanced at the clock it was almost five. Maybe it was time to head home. She didn't want to be alone tonight. It was the anniversary after all. It had been three long years. And it had been crawling and scratching around inside her brain all day.

As she started down the street back to her apartment, she saw something that sparked her interest on a bunch of televisions being sold in a shop window. It was an old interview with Bruce Wayne. He was talking about some new business decision. Suddenly, the screen went black. Chelsea didn't know what to think, until she heard it: laughter. Not just any laughter, but the kind that made every Gotham citizen's skin crawl.

"Joker," she gasped.

Joker appeared on the screen, "Hello Gotham!" he beamed, grinning his abnormally large grin, "Tonight I bring you an explosive new… comedy." he broke out into laughter again, "This is Harley, my assistant," Harley appeared behind The Joker, her giant hammer behind her back. She waved to the camera, "No one likes a spotlight hog Harley!" Joker barked, turning the camera back to him, "Ahem, anyway… your good friend Joker here, would like to show you a map!" A map of Gotham appeared on the screen, "There are six bombs placed throughout Gotham! And guess what!? Unless Bats intends to have some assistance, he'll never make it in time! Perhaps Robin or Bratgirl? Whatever shall he do!?" A picture of the Bat symbol appeared over the map, as Joker erupted with laughter once more. Chelsea studied the image as closely as she could, taking a mental picture, before it disappeared.

Whipping out her small sketchbook she started to replicate the picture. Somewhere within the confines of that symbol were all six bombs. That had to be it. She grabbed her ear, "Batman, you there?" she paused, no answer. She sighed, and tried again, "Batman…?"

"I see it," he finally said.

"Look, I have an idea of where they are." Chelsea informed, looking at her sketch, "Let's meet up and-"

"No," he cut her off with a stern tone, "you and the others stay out of this. I mean it."

When it came to Joker, it was personal. She looked back to the television and watched Joker's mouth continue to move, but wasn't listening to his words. If Batman didn't want to work together, then she would honor his wishes of not calling upon the others. However, she couldn't just wait around and hope that she didn't get blown up. She started to examine the locations inside the bat symbol. It would make sense for Joker to coordinate it so he could wipe out the most people in the shortest amount of time. Chelsea's eyes glanced over at the tv to see Joker holding up a pair of threes. Add that up and you get six. He kept exposing more subtle clues, "Batman," she said again into her earpiece, "three of the bombs are fake. He's trying to overwhelm you by planting three decoys."

"They will all have to be dismantled in order to ensure Gotham's safety." Batman replied, "Stay out of it."

Right like that's going to happen. She sighed. He seemed grumpier than usual. Chelsea started to study Joker's surroundings. He was in a studio. Perhaps a news broadcasting center? It looked too small for that. That's when she saw the strangely shaped microphones behind him. A radio broadcasting center? There was only one building she knew of in Gotham that had a radio station as well as a news broadcasting center. It was smack dab in the middle of the Bat symbol on her sketch. It hit her all at once. The three active explosives were inside the very building Joker was stationed in. She started to reach for her ear again, when she decided not to. She would handle this. Batman was being too stubborn to listen to her.

Chelsea levitated high above the buildings and started to make her way to Gotham Broadcast and Radio Center. Setting her backpack on the roof of the building beside her destination, she noticed a window on the top floor of the broadcasting center that was open. She slowly lifted it up the rest of the way and slipped inside. Thankfully she was small. Batman would never fit through that. She was inside a dark room. She saw a blinking red light in the center of the room. Igniting her hand, she looked over the device. She wasn't sure how to dismantle a bomb, "Batman," she was sure he'd be pissed at her, "listen, I have a bomb in front of me I know is real. Walk me through dismantling it."

Bruce knew she would do that. She was way too determined. When in reality, Batman just meant so much to her she wanted to keep him safe. It had nothing to do with her own safety. A deep breath escaped his nostrils, "Follow my instructions exactly." but he didn't look at it that way. He thought she was just being stubborn, "Open the small door," Chelsea did as she was told, "carefully pull the round red piece from the chamber, without touching the magnetic sides." She set the piece to the side, "Cut the remaining wires in the following order: blue, black and yellow striped, yellow, black… red."

Chelsea cut each one slowly and carefully. The lights turned off in the device and the timer stopped, "I got it." she told him.

Without knowing it, Batman was two floors below her dismantling the third and final bomb. He hadn't gotten to the top floor yet, "You need to leave." he instructed.

Chelsea was starting to lose her patience with him as she walked out into the hallway and search the rest of the building. She saw a door that was labelled, "Studio". When she peeked into the window, it was empty. That's when she heard a door open behind her and flipped around, in a fighting stance. She immediately let her guard down when she realized she was face to face with Batman, "I can't find Joker." she told him.

"I will find him," Batman stated, "He's my responsibility."

"Oh come on!" Chelsea barked, losing her temper, "He isn't your child Batman! He's a crooked criminal who just so happens to find amusement in making your life a living hell. Let me help! You think this is your burden alone, but it's not! It's all of Gotham. Did you ever stop and think that maybe someone wants to look out for you?"

Bruce couldn't help, but be a little surprised. No one had ever said it like that to him before.

"Oh look, if it isn't the Dork Knight himself," Harley Quinn exclaimed from behind Batman.

Chelsea had never seen any of Batman's villains face to face. Harley Quinn never seemed like a true evil doer before. Just some girl who was wrapped up in the wrong guy. It was so strange seeing her up close in her black and red jester costume.

"Quinn," growled Batman, "Where's Joker?"

"Mista J doesn't want you interrupting his show!" she pulled out a cannon, "So he entrusted me to keep you company for a while." She fired it and it blew a huge hole in the hallway. Anticipating a cloud of bat blood smeared across the wall, she was shocked to see a white light orb. The force field came down and there stood Batman with some blonde broad, "Hey, who the hell are you toots?" wondered Harley.

Batman couldn't believe how fast Chelsea had become. All that training with Flash had in fact made a difference. No one had ever tried to protect him before, "I'm a friend," Chelsea told Harley, "and I've got firepower too." her eyes glowed a hot white light as she bawled up her fist and fired warning shots in her direction. Harley wasn't expecting this and retreated quickly down a set of stairs, "They must be down in the basement," Chelsea murmured.

"You've improved," Bruce noted.

She gave him the thumbs up, "Listen, I know you have a hard time trusting people, and you have your reasons…" she started down the hallway and looked back at him, "but for what it's worth… I'll always have your back."

Bruce felt a warmth in his chest. He had no doubts when she said it. She meant what she said. He wanted to be there for her, as well. Always.

The end of the staircase led to a door that said, "Studio 2". When Chelsea opened the door she watched as Harley was sent spiralling to the ground. Joker had popped her across the face for not doing as she was told. Something cracked inside Chelsea's head, the moment she saw blood drip for Harley's nose. Joker's gaze turned to Chelsea. He wasn't expecting a new face. When their eyes met, she expected a chill or intimidation, but there was no room for that. All that was inside her was rage. She had this overwhelming feeling. And at a moment's notice, had Joker on the ground and was throwing punches at his face.

She was ripped off of him by Batman who was completely thrown off-guard by her reckless behavior. Tears burned down her face as she jerked away from his grip. What had happened? Chelsea had only been down here a half a second ahead of him.

"Mista J," Harley crawled over to Joker who was nearly unconscious, "please, no more," she begged, "don't hurt him anymore." Harley's eyes turned to Chelsea, "You're crueler than B-man!"

Chelsea felt a twinge of pain at Quinn's remark. When Batman turned to her again she was gone. Handcuffing the Mad Love couple to a pipe that was in the basement of the building, Batman called Commissioner Gordon and alerted him of their location. He then went in search for Chelsea, who hadn't gotten far. She was up on the building she had left her bag on. She furiously wiped her tears away, when Batman came up behind her. He had never seen her emotions so out of control, "Care to explain what happened back there?" he asked into the chill of the night air.

Chelsea recalled it like it was yesterday. It was the three year anniversary of course. She had come home from a week of college, expecting everything to be normal.

She stared at the streets, watching cop cars arrive to take Joker and Harley back to the asylum, "My dad is a raging alcoholic," she admitted, "he had never hit anyone before. He had a history of aggression, but did well to keep it under control… until three years ago. I came home. Found my mom being struck by him. She was black and blue. He slammed her head into a wall. They had to put her into a medically induced coma just to keep her alive on a feeding tube and I had to call the cops on my own father."

Bruce had no idea. He didn't know what to say.

_"Speaking on behalf of your mother," asked the cop to Chelsea, "Would you like to press charges?"_

_Chelsea was still in shock, "Lock him up." she murmured._

"She's still there. Lying in that hospital bed, and he's still behind bars. Three years ago… and here I am… still dealing with it. The mental image never goes away… neither does the anger. I lost control," she covered her face, "Perhaps I'm no better than that monster… but when I saw Joker put his hands on Harley… I just wanted to protect her… I just wanted… to make up for my absence. I should have saved my mom…" she quietly sobbed to herself, "but I let her down. She was all alone…"

Bruce sat down beside her quietly, and draped his cape around her body, pulling her in close. He had no idea she had such a dark past. She always looked so happy. He had always done research on the members of the Justice League, but when it came to her… "Sometimes, the biggest demons are the ones who walk among us every day. We don't see it… because they matter to us. Harley doesn't see it. Neither did you."

Batman had never been this soft to her before. She rested her face against his arm pit, "I apologize… for my behavior."

Batman wasn't even worried about that anymore. He just wished he could be Bruce Wayne right now. He wanted to be able to take her pain away. He envied her ability to let loose the pain she felt. He hadn't done that since the night his parents died.

She abruptly pulled away from him and stood up. Flipping her bag over her shoulder she turned to him, "I'm going to head back home."

"The Watch Tower?" he asked.

"My apartment," she corrected, "I need to be alone. Collect my thoughts." She lowered herself to the ground behind the building and started the long walk home. When she looked back, Batman was gone. She sighed heavily and continued her solemn march. When she arrived at her apartment, she routinely tossed her keys in the bowl and put her backpack on the couch. She laid back on the couch, fighting with herself. She didn't really want to be alone. She hated being by herself. She wasn't used to it anymore, being surrounded by such great people at the Watch Tower. Perhaps she should call Wally? Or maybe even- She got to her feet and grabbed her keys, exiting the apartment once more.

There she stood in front of Wayne Manor. It was already eight o'clock. What if she came at a bad time? What if he wasn't even home? As she approached the door, she knocked, and waited. Alfred came to the door, his eyes widening with surprise when he saw it was her, "Miss Chelsea, what can I do for you this evening?"

"Is Mr. Wayne in?" she asked.

Alfred had been watching over Bruce the last few days very carefully. He seemed uneasy and more moody than usual. Chelsea coming here might lift his spirits, but to his knowledge, Batman was still out patrolling the night, "He's expected to be home soon, but I never know for sure."

"Oh," Chelsea's expression fell with disappointment, "Well, thank you, Alfred. Have a great evening…" she started to turn away.

"Please stay," Alfred requested, "I'm making Master Bruce's favorite meal this evening. I bet it would be a lovely surprise if you had dinner with him. You mean a lot to him, you know?" Alfred knew he was meddling, but when it came to Bruce, he was getting tired of him being so hard headed. Why couldn't he see that he was in love with this young woman? What would it take to make him see that?

"If you don't think he'll mind," Chelsea replied, stepping into the front door. She followed Alfred through the maze of a mansion into the rather large kitchen. Chelsea examined her surrounds carefully, "Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"By all means," nodded Alfred, turning on the industrial stove top with six burners.

"Do you think maybe… I could cook for him this evening?" she asked.

He was again caught off-guard by this girl, "You would like to cook for Master Bruce?" he asked. If Bruce didn't marry this woman, Alfred would scold him ten fold.

"I like to cook. Especially for the people who are important to me. I think meals have a power of bringing people together," Chelsea explained.

Alfred gestured to the large fridge, "Everything you could possibly think of is at your disposal. Do as you wish, Miss Chelsea. If I can be of assistance, just call for me." He pointed to the phone on the wall that had call numbers for each room in the house. Alfred left the room shortly after and made his way down to the Batcave. Once inside, he noticed Bruce had in fact returned. He took note of the face of the man he had on his large monitor, "Doing research sir?" asked the loyal butler.

"This man is Chelsea's father. I'm investigating his police file. Charged with domestic violence and assault." Bruce shook his head, as he pulled back his cowl and rested his cheek in his palm.

"Miss Chelsea is upstairs," Alfred informed.

Bruce's heart leapt up into his throat, as he turned his chair to face Alfred, "What?"

"She came here to see you, Master Bruce. I wasn't aware you had returned home. I thought you were still tying up loose ends with The Joker. She's got a surprise for you." Alfred told him, a smile appearing on his face.

Bruce ran his hand through his black, sweaty hair, "She's here…?"

"Why don't you get cleaned up? I bet you'll find her in the kitchen after you do." Alfred winked and wandered off to go clean something. He hoped his meddling might be for the better. Perhaps some romance would ensue.

Bruce wasn't quite sure what Alfred meant. He took a route through his house that allowed him to slip into his room without being detected by Chelsea who was currently making him dinner.

Chelsea probably bit off more than she could chew. It was Bruce Wayne for crying out loud. She didn't know how to make anything super fancy. She decided on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. Perhaps not the most fancy meal, but definitely a combination she had gotten good at making. She started to set the table, when she heard it, "You cook too?" she turned around to see Bruce standing in the doorway. His shoulders were rolled back. He had a button up white shirt with the sleeves rolled up just before his elbows, black pants and his usual polished shoes.

"I pitched the idea with Alfred and he ran with it." she had her hair pulled back into a bun with a clip. She had her usual red hoodie, jeans, and converse combo on. She felt so improper when she was here, "You work him too hard it seems."

Bruce cracked a smile and raised his eyebrow at her remark, "Is that what he told you?" he came forth and looked down deeply into her eyes. They still looked worn from her previous teary moment she had shared with Batman.

"I apologize for showing up uninvited…" she started to say, bring the plates of food over to the table, and completing any finishing touches left undone. She tucked a lock of stubborn hair behind her ear and smiled, "I know it's not what you're used to but-" she gestured her hand toward the table.

"It looks great," he told her, his eyes turning back to her. Pulling her chair out for her, he took a seat across the table and stared at her thoughtfully, "I have to be honest… I didn't think I'd see you again."

"Disappointed?" she asked.

"Hardly," he said, tilting his head.

"Why would you say that? I had a great time with you before," she told him, making her plate.

"I… thought I had ruined it with the way I left," Bruce couldn't help, but bring it up. It was all he could think about. With how she jumped at the chance to go on a date with Wally, he was sure he wouldn't hear from her again.

"Oh no," Chelsea waved it off, "I was worried I had offended you somehow." she admitted.

After Bruce's plate was made he started to chew a piece of the chicken. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he certainly didn't expect it to turn out so good, "You're an excellent cook." he told her, "You didn't offend me at all. The moment I left I started missing you." his eyes momentarily widened. Even he didn't expect that to come out of his mouth.

Chelsea smiled at him, "I appreciate your company. I had a rough day. You were the person I thought would make it better. It seems I was correct."

Bruce got a sympathetic look on his face, which didn't happen very often. She was still being herself even though she was so pained, "You want to tell me about it?" he offered, taking a drink of some wine from a wine glass.

She sighed and raised her shoulders, "Just… family stuff. The most normal family I have ever had is the-" she almost said The Justice League, "my group of friends I have now."

Bruce watched her stare at her plate in a far off place, "Once we finish dinner," he spoke up, "how about we watch that marathon you've owed me?"

She looked up at him and managed a smile, "I'd like that." she nodded.

The two settled down in the largest living room of the mansion. Inside was a rather large television, a big red velvet couch, and many other chairs scattered about the room. There was also a coffee table in front of the couch, and a small dining table in the corner with four chairs. A crystal chandelier hung above the couch. The switch on the wall allowed you to adjust the brightness. Bruce adjusted it to dim once she had put the DVD in the player. She sat down on the couch, with her feet tucked under her body. Bruce came up from behind her and wrapped a blanket around her. She smiled up at him and thanked him. Gingerly pulling the clip out of her hair, he briefly ran his fingers through it and then took a seat beside her, placing the clip on the coffee table.

The first episode of Gray Ghost started to play. They watched quietly, becoming invested into the storyline. Chelsea looked Bruce up and down. Examining the blanket on her, she noticed it was rather large. Without asking she wrapped half of it around Bruce and placed her head against his shoulder, snuggling up to him. She felt safest beside him, but wasn't sure why. A weary smile appeared on Bruce face from her actions. She was so warm. He didn't want to budge an inch for fear she would pull away. About three episodes in he felt her nuzzle herself onto his lap. Upon closer examination she had fallen asleep. He lifted his hand, hesitated, and then gently ran his fingers through her hair.

His heart sank when he saw a stray tear slide down her face. She must have been so restless when this day came around every year. He knew the feeling, glancing over at the picture who hung on the wall of his mother and father. Once the disc of Gray Ghost ended, Bruce used the remote to turn the television off. Picking her up with ease he made his way up the stairs to place her back in the room she stayed in before. As he pulled the blanket over her, her hand grabbed a hold of his. She tired eyes opened slightly, "Could you maybe… stay with me, for a while?"

He'd stay with her all night if that's what she wanted. He reached for a chair to sit in and watch over her, but she shook her head, "You can lay with me. I trust you…" her voice was faint and sleepy.

He very slowly slipped off his shoes and went to the opposite side of the bed. When he laid down she cautiously laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was surprisingly very fast. She never expected Bruce Wayne to be nervous with a woman. He stared up at the canopy above them, and wrapped his arm around her. He was wide awake. It was almost like the moment his head hit the pillow, he was seeing things more clearly. It had been a long time, but he felt it: fear. He was so terrified right now at the realizations that were becoming apparent to him right now. His eyes glanced down at the top of her head, then back to the canopy that hung above them.

_"What am I going to do?" he was having a mental conversation with his father. He did this whenever he felt confused or lost. It was all in his imagination, but it helped him sort out his thoughts._

_His father's voice rang in his ears, "Accept it."_

_"What is there to accept?" wondered Bruce._

_"You know," His father protested, "but you must be willing to admit it to yourself, or you will drive yourself crazy. You've been denying it so long you can barely see straight anymore."_

_Bruce rubbed his forehead, developing a headache, "But this has never happened before. Even if I do accept it, then what?"_

_"Always trying to be three steps ahead, aren't you my son?" Thomas chuckled. It was typical Bruce, "Try as you will, you can't be. Not in this situation." Bruce couldn't say anything so Thomas Wayne continued, "You struggle because you don't have control over this. It frightens you for that reason. This is the one emotion one cannot control, because our hearts do it for us. You've been ignoring your heart for far too long son."_

_"But what about you and mother?" Bruce argued, "I created Batman to avenge you both. I am Batman. My first priority will always be to fix what went wrong. To help others."_

_"Did you ever stop and think that maybe someone wants to look out for you?" His father repeated what was said to him by Chelsea earlier that day, "You can choose to continue to run away from this issue, but it will never go away. The longer you ignore it, the stronger it will become, and by the time you let it out… it may be too late to do anything about it. Say it. Say it to yourself. Let yourself be free, Bruce. Your mother and I love you, very very much, but we never needed the Batman, to do that. We just do. No matter what happened in the past, you are our son, and we love you." Bruce felt himself tear up, "Forgive yourself for what you couldn't control in the first place. Be happy. Find the joy in your life. That's what we wanted. All any parent ever wants for their child."_

_"I don't want to get hurt again…" admitted Bruce._

_"That's all you ever do Bruce. Hurt yourself. Stop! Say it! Admit to yourself the truth." his father instructed._

_"I love her…" he winced, "I go to work, I think about her. I go to sleep, she's there. I fight crime, and I remember how I let her down. I see her with someone else and I die inside wishing it was me. Wishing I was the one she would share her laughter with. I love her. I love her more than anything." Bruce started to openly cry. It felt like the flood gate in his chest had burst wide open._

Chelsea lifted her head and shook Bruce's shoulder, "Bruce you're having a nightmare."

He lifted his head to look at her in the darkness. His eyes still dripping. He took a deep breath, and laid his head back down.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

It wasn't a nightmare. It was the first time he hadn't been haunted by nightmares. He pulled her in closer and didn't say a word.

Chelsea laid her head back down and held him tight.

_"I love her… but I refuse to act on it."_ he told himself, closing his eyes. Tonight he would enjoy her warmth and company, but once the sun came up that would be it. He would start down the path that ensured she'd never know, and that would allow him to continue the life he had always lived: alone.


	11. Chapter 11

_Discovery_

Even though Chelsea had to get going and meet back up with her friends, she felt that she owed Bruce for letting her stay the night. She prepared him breakfast which he did not expect, and after they ate decided it was time to go. He walked her to the door. She took note that he had been exceptionally quiet all morning, "Thanks again for letting me stay. I'm sorry I fell asleep on you."

He smiled at her, "It's no big deal," he assured her.

She hesitated, and then wrapped her arms around him. He melted a little, wrapping his arms around her tightly, "I'll come by again in a couple of days to check on you." she winked at him. She decided to go the safe route and kiss his cheek, "Have a good day at work." she waved, as she started down the steps to leave.

Bruce closed the door after she left and stood there quietly, collecting his thoughts. He opened his mouth to speak, "You knew, didn't you?"

Alfred came out from behind a corner, drying a glass they had used earlier that morning, "Knew what, sir?" he asked. Bruce looked him in the eyes and he knew exactly what he was referring to, "A long time ago." admitted Alfred.

Bruce started to walk past him.

Alfred couldn't help but be curious, "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," Bruce replied simply.

"Nothing?" Alfred furrowed his eyebrows, "But Master Bruce you're so happy when she-"

"I know!" Bruce huffed, "but it changes nothing." he took the entrance to the batcave without hearing another word.

Chelsea arrived at the Watch Tower some time later. When she entered the monitor room no one was around except J'onn. She walked up to greet him, "Hello J'onn. How're you?"

He turned to her and smiled, "I am adequate, yourself?"

"I'm doing surprisingly well today," she nodded, "Where is everyone?"

"Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern are off investigating a distress signal. Hawkgirl is off on private business. Flash is…"

"Right here!" Flash appeared beside Chelsea.

"Hey you," Chelsea grinned.

Wally took her hands in his, "I missed you." He was so open about it, "How was college and all that?"

"Just fine. I got some work done." Chelsea thought it might hurt him to bring up staying the night at Wayne Manor. It's not like anything happened between them. Heck, they didn't even kiss this time.

The landing bay door opened and Batman walked in. He saw Chelsea and Flash standing there beside J'onn and started to walk into the other door to enter into the hallway.

"Good morning, Batman." Chelsea said to him.

He ignored her greeting completely and went into the next room.

"What's his problem?" Wally asked confused.

"I don't know," Chelsea frowned, "he's never been that way toward me before." She started after him, "I'll be back. I've got to make sure he's okay."

A tinge of jealousy eclipsed Wally's judgment. She always dropped everything when it came to Batman. What was it about distant, grumpy, and dark girls seemed to flock to? It didn't make any sense to him.

"Batman," Chelsea called out to him. He took a couple more steps and stopped, but didn't turn to her, "Hey are you alright?"

"Peachy," he replied.

He always said that when things were absolutely not alright, "Batman, talk to me."

He looked at her with a cold, distant stare. Bruce decided the best course of action would be to be cold toward her. Maybe if she didn't stay close to him, he would learn to fall out of love with her. It worked for everyone else. They kept their distance and left him be. The siren started to go off.

Chelsea turned back to go into the monitor room with Flash and J'onn. Batman followed closely behind her, "What's going on?" she asked J'onn.

"Some warehouse has some unusual activity taking place." J'onn informed them.

"Maybe you should stay and wait for the others," Flash told J'onn, "The three of us can handle it."

Just what Bruce wanted to hear. He'd have to work on a mission with Chelsea and now Wally who he had already been slightly irritated with anyway.

When they arrived at the warehouse, the silence was suffocating. Finally, Wally couldn't take it anymore, "Alright Bats! What is your problem!? Chelsea didn't do anything to you and she doesn't deserve the cold shoulder you give everyone else!"

"Wally," Chelsea murmured.

Bruce's jaw tightened, "I will say this one time," he glared, "back off."

Chelsea stepped between them and pushed them away from each other, "Stop it, both of you. We're here on business. Lets get it taken care of and go home." the idea that Batman was angry with her caused a lot more internal damage than she could ever expect.

When they walked in a spotlight came down on a man dressed in a magician's costume. Flash and Batman didn't recognize him. Perhaps he was another victim of the science that made Chelsea who she was, "Welcome, ladies and gentleman. Boys and girls of all ages! I am the great and powerful Ringleader!" he blew kisses to the crowd, i.e. the three that stood before him.

"Are you two seeing some wack job with a circus suit on?" asked Chelsea. They both nodded, "Okay, just making sure."

"Wack job?" barked the Ringleader, "ladies and gents it appears we have a non-believer on our hands." he hit a button on his magic wand and boo's came out of the speakers around them, "We have some special guests tonight folks. Batman, Flash, and some big mouth…" he struck a pose, "For my first trick I will need a volunteer!" he waved his wand and before Wally knew it, he was beside the Ringleader, "An eager one, isn't he?" applause erupted from the speakers, "Hocus, pocus," he waved his wand and a cheetah appeared. It licked its chops at Wally.

"Wuh-oh," Wally took a step back.

"Witness Flash's most dazzling race yet! Flash v. the cheetah!" Ringleader pointed his wand at Wally and the cheetah instantly started after him. Wally could still outrun the cat, but he'd be pre-occupied for a while.

Ringleader turned back to Chelsea and Batman. Chelsea looked worried, while Batman was examining their surroundings, trying to figure out how he made a cheetah appear out of thin air, "Woah," exclaimed Ringleader coming off of his stage, "I sense some intense hostility between you two! A lover's spat perhaps?" laughter erupted from his throat as he shot a fireball out of his magic wand.

Chelsea jumped in front of Batman to block the attack with her force field, but was dumbstruck when it wouldn't appear. The force blew her back against Batman and sent them spiralling into a wall. Chelsea looked at her hands, confused. She stood up and tried to shoot light bolts but nothing was happening. She turned back to Batman and helped him to his feet, "What's going on?" he asked her.

"I can't summon my light…" Chelsea looked desperate.

Ringleader started to chant a spell, "Bonds can break, bonds can split. Look through the eyes of the other, until the bond is fixed!" a bolt of light struck Batman and Chelsea hard, knocking them out cold.

Sometime passed, Chelsea heard a far off voice. Who was that? It was so familiar. It was Wally's voice. He sounded so worried. She didn't want him to worry. She slowly forced herself to sit up. She had been lying on her belly. Still a little whoosy she watched Wally shake her furiously. Was she having an out of body experience? She looked down at her hands to see a pair of black gloves, "Wally..?" she asked, her voice sounding sultry and confused. She covered her mouth the instant it happened.

"Bats!" Wally looked to Batman, "Chelsea won't wake up." he turned back to Chelsea only to be clobbered in the face by her fist. Batman sat up and looked around. When he made eye contact with a mirror reflection of himself he stared confused, "What-?" his voice was a woman's. He looked down to see a pair of dainty hands and what's more, a pair of other things he knew for a fact he did not have.

"What did I do to deserve that?" barked Wally, holding his cheek.

"Wally, it's me." Chelsea stood up, making it clear: her and Batman had switched bodies.

Wally stared at her dumbfounded, "Chelsea?" he looked her up and down, "but how?"

Batman got to his feet and examined the room, "Where did the Ringleader go? He has to be around here somewhere!" he barked.

"At one point the cheetah just vanished. I came back to help you guys, but when I returned you were both unconscious on the ground." Wally informed, starting to freak out the girl he was in love with was now trapped in a man's body.

"We need to search for clues," Batman reached for his belt out of habit, but it was no longer there. He walked over to Chelsea and started to sift through a pocket in his belt.

"Do you remember anything?" asked Wally.

Chelsea tried to think, "it's really fuzzy. I remember I couldn't use my powers. It freaked me out… and then it goes blank."

Batman had his grappling hook in his hand, and aimed it toward a rafter, "Hold it…" Wally said, "Can't you fly?"

Batman sighed, "I don't know the first thing when it comes to how her abilities work. If they're malfunctioning for their owner do you really think I," his eyes started to glow with frustration, "can do it!" his hand started to glow, melting his hook some. He tossed it quickly to the ground to keep from destroying it.

"Bruce," Chelsea spoke to him, "My powers work off of my emotions. When you get angry, the power becomes more ferocious. You have to relax…"

Batman was starting to figure it out in his head. He only ever felt irritable or serious, "What helps you fly?"

"Hope," Chelsea told him, "trust in my body and it will trust you as its guide."

Batman stared at her in disbelief and reached for his grappling hook again that had fallen to the ground. He pushed the button, settling the hook to the rafter above and being guided up there to look around.

Chelsea turned to Wally looking saddened, "Are you alright in there?" he asked her.

"I'm just fine," she assured.

"Don't let him get to you, Chels. He's like that with everyone." Wally felt weird speaking to Batman this way.

"Not with me…" Chelsea shook her head, "I just wish I knew what I did to upset him."

"You've got his brain, right?" Wally asked, "try to figure it out."

"No," Chelsea disagreed, "I can't go sifting through his thoughts. They're his business. He should talk to me when he is ready."

"But what if this is permanent?" wondered Wally, "Do you really want to be Batman forever?"

Batman stepped on a worn out couple of boards and they snapped. He grabbed onto the board just before he fell, dropping his grappling hook. Chelsea started to run in his direction, "Batman!"

Wally was there in an instant below him, "Just drop. I'll catch you." He didn't want anything to happen to Chelsea's beautiful body while under the care of Batman.

"Bruce listen to me," Chelsea started speaking to him, "believe in yourself. Flight is second nature to me. I know you can do-" she watched as Batman let go and closed his eyes, focusing. When he opened them, he was hovering above the ground. Chelsea smiled, "See? You did it!"

Bruce lowered himself to the ground and walked over to grab his grappling hook. He tossed it over to Chelsea, "You'll need that." he informed her, "pocket third from the left." she reached inside and pulled out a device. Bruce walked over to her and sprinkled some sparkles he found up on the rafter, "That's him alright," he confirmed, "he hasn't gotten far."

"He hasn't moved…" Chelsea corrected, staring at the screen of the device.

Wally found a top hat center stage, "Check this out." he pointed to it. Instantly Ringleader sprung from the hat and placed it back atop his head.

"Show me what you've got!" he declared, raising his magic wand and thrusting large wooden boxes at them through telekinesis.

Batman tried to summon light bolts, but they simply would not ignite in his palms. Chelsea jumped in front of him and Wally and threw three explosive batarangs. They struck the boxes and exploded.

"Woah," Wally breathed, "How did you know where his batarangs were?"

"When it comes to combat, I know how everyone functions. I had to, to be able to challenge you all." She reminded him, readying another batarang.

Ringleader waved his wand again and changed the readied batarang into a real live bat. Chelsea threw it in surprise and it escaped into the darkness, "Wally, can you get his wand?" she asked, backing up so she was beside the other two.

"Ah, ah, ah," Ringleader protested, waving his wand and striking Wally with a blast of smoke. When it dissolved a turtle was in his place.

"Wally!" cried Chelsea. Her and Batman were then thrown back by a gust of magic that hurled them into the wall. Chelsea caught turtle Wally mid-air and shielded him in her cape.

"How do I use your light bolts?!" barked Bruce.

"You have to want to. You've got to believe in my power or it will not work!" Chelsea replied.

"I don't know how to believe any harder!" he growled, his eyes glowing.

Chelsea ran up and tackled him out of the way of flying debris. She hid Wally under a broken box, "I'll come back for you. I promise." she assured him, then stood up and turned back to the madman, "If you do not believe in me, fine." Chelsea told Batman, "but ever since I was young I've done nothing, but believe in you." Ringleader enchanted a couple of chairs, turning them into wooden soldiers who were coming toward them. Chelsea took them out with batarangs. A spell was then cast on the rafter above her, causing it to crumble.

Pulling out the grappling hook she hooked onto the Ringmaster and pulled him in, then rolled off to the side so the rubble would instead land on him. She stood in front of Bruce, as he stared at her in amazement. Every movement she made, mirrored something he would do. She had it down to a beat.

Small fireworks were suddenly at their feet, popping and exploding. When the dust cleared, Bruce had managed to create a forcefield around them. He kept his guard up, "I should have trusted you more." he admitted.

"Save the apology," Chelsea told him, "let's get this guy."

Ringleader floated up into the air, casting spell after spell. The two started dodging the attacks. Batman took flight with such a velocity he knocked the clown clean out of the air and then blasted him with a bolt of light. Chelsea used the grappling hook to try to dodge the guy plummeting to the ground. With a flick of the magician's wrist, her grappling hook turned into a snake. Chelsea managed to make contact with the beam she was aiming for and get a hand on it. When the man came charging through the air toward her, she did a somersault over the beam and used both of her legs to kick to guy, sending him spiralling into his small, round stage. Chelsea glided to the ground with Batman's cape and landed beside her longtime hero. The two exchanged a smile and readied themselves for the next attack.

When the Ringleader sprang from the boards he tried to cast another spell, only to notice that his wand was gone, "Looking for this?" asked Bruce, tossing the wand into the air and blasting it with a bolt of light.

"No!" cried the Ringleader as he started to melt. All that was left was the top hat.

"Maybe it was an enchanted magician's hat all along…" Chelsea murmured, glancing over to Batman. She ran over to the broken box from before, and there Wally laid, unconscious.

"He'll be alright." Batman reassured her, coming up behind her.

The worry was all over Chelsea's face as she reached for Batman's cape, "Will we? The spell didn't break."

Bruce knew why, "You couldn't use your light bolts because you were so consumed with worry." he told her, "I made you worry by being so cold to you. I'm the reason your powers weren't working." he sighed, "I… I apologize for how I was acting. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd say Wally was right. You do not deserve that kind of attitude from anyone."

A light sprang from both of their bodies, swirled around one another and then entered the other body. In moments, Chelsea looked down to see her own hands again. She then looked up to see Batman coming toward her. He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in close. Her face turned as red as Flash's suit. Was he about to kiss her? He pulled away last minute, and then just pulled her close to him, wrapped in an embrace. Batman had never held her this way before. It felt so familiar.

Wally woke up at the wrong time. He saw Batman holding her and his heart sank a little, "What happened?" he asked.

Chelsea turned to Wally and ran over to help him to his feet.

"Chels?" he asked.

"In the flesh," she joked.

Wally picked her up and spun her around, "I'm so glad." he sighed with relief, pulling her into a bear hug.

Bruce couldn't believe the jealousy he felt toward Wally. Flash of all people? Why Flash? He turned away from the two, "We should get back." he said aloud.

Chelsea grabbed onto Wally's hand and pulled him forward. She then linked her free arm around Batman's, "Let's go home." she told them.

The two looked at each other with irritated stares, "Right." they said in unison.

As the exited the warehouse, something felt strange to Chelsea. She stopped walking to look back. Flash and Batman paused as well, "What's up?" asked Wally.

"Something doesn't feel right." Chelsea murmured. From her shadow sprang a hand. It grabbed her left arm and pulled her down into the shadow.

"Chelsea!" exclaimed Batman.

Flash grabbed onto her hand, pulling her back from out of her shadow in the ground, but he couldn't get her to budge. Batman grabbed onto her arm too and they both started to pull. With one snap motion, she was gone, "Pulled into her own shadow…?" Wally touched the ground with his palm, "What was that?" he cried, looking back at Batman.

"I don't know." he looked down at his hand. He had her. Why couldn't they pull her back?

"How are we going to find her? Do you think that magician is still around?" Wally was full of questions. Questions Bruce couldn't answer and that frustrated him.

"Quiet!" Batman instructed. He didn't even know where to begin. He had never seen something like that before. It was at a time like this he had wished he was still in her body. At least then it would be him and not her.

Chelsea opened her eyes to find herself in a strange room. She was strapped to a table. She tried to break loose, but was so scared she couldn't focus, "Batman! Flash!" she exclaimed, "Superman! Anybody!" she shook with fear as a door opened and Batman stepped in. He looked her over quietly.

"You're alright," he assured her, "You took a blow to the head. We found you unconscious with some device on you, J'onn identified it as a mind-control weapon. We had to restrain you in the event that removing the device didn't stop the effects."

Chelsea stared at him bewildered. This person wasn't Batman. She knew the moment he walked in. Everything about him was wrong. She knew her Batman and this wasn't him, "Can I please have a glass of water?" Chelsea motioned toward the sink in the room with her chin.

Batman removed her restraints on her arms and filled up a glass for her. He handed it to her and she took a drink, watching him the whole time. After she was satisfied, she smashed the glass into his skull and started to unstrap her legs from the bed. She then grabbed the fake and slammed him into a wall, "Who the hell are you and where am I?" she growled, "Tell me now!"

The red herring smiled at her and revealed his true face. It was a boy about her age, "You're home, big sister." he told her.

"What?" Chelsea said, dropping him.

"Father wanted me to fetch you. So I did. He's taught me and the others such valuable things. My twin sister and I can change our appearances," he changed from Batman again, to The Flash, and then Bruce Wayne, "I can look into your deepest desires and materialize what you truly want." He pushed her back on the bed and applied his weight to her. He used Bruce's voice, "Show me what you wish to do with me…" he said, moving in for a kiss. Chelsea kneed him in the crotch and broke herself free from his hold, slamming him into a wall.

"Are you the bastard that brought me here?" Chelsea barked.

"No, that would be Shadow…" he grinned.

Her shadow lifted off the ground and became a person. Chelsea stared at the figure nervous. He lifted up the mask to reveal his face. Another young man about her age, "We've been waiting such a long time for your return. Father has big plans for us. Starting with your friends, The Justice League… you will lead us to victory." The Shadow boy told her, "You will help us kill them."

Chelsea leapt behind the bed and kicked it, slamming it into the Shadow boy, but he disappeared into the wall and came out of her shadow. He stood behind her and strangled her, "If you refuse… father will not be happy."

A man entered the room. He was much older. He was in a lab coat and had glasses perched on his nose. His blonde hair was slicked back with too much gel. His name tag had the name "XYZ" printed on it, "Ah, my first child." he walked up to Chelsea, gesturing for the Shadow kid to let her breathe, "Its been so long my dear. I never thought I'd find you again… but then you started working with that awful excuse for a group of heroes…" he grabbed her by the jaw, and pulled her close, "you even started to fall in love…" he chuckled at her silliness, "Grodd had to have told you… what your purpose is for… You're suppose to kill Batman," he started laughing again, "and instead you fell in love with him." He ran his fingers through her hair and looked her over, "but then again, you also love that fast man, Flash, don't you?" he shook his finger at her, "you can't have it both ways… so why decide… when your fate is to destroy them all?"

He slapped her across the face hard and she hit the ground. She rubbed her cheek, feeling the stinging pain that she now shared with her mother. Suddenly, she was up on her feet and blasting a light bolt at him. She made contact, but he was only forced back a little bit. He smiled, "I'm happy to see you're progressing."

That's when Chelsea felt it. Something was gripping her wrist. She heard a familiar voice, "Chelsea… Where are you? I'm here." J'onn's voice whispered to her, "I've come to take you back." A hole opened up and J'onn pulled her back through the void. When she opened up her eyes, she was surrounded by all of her friends. They looked at her with worry, "Are you unharmed?" asked J'onn with concern.

Chelsea was trembling, "I met him," she spoke aloud, "I met the man who made me this way. He has a bunch of other people just like me working for him. A kid that can bend shadows, a set of twins that can shapeshift, and he had some power I didn't get to witness… but he's so confident…"

Superman helped her to her feet, "Someone once told me that confidence can be your downfall." he flashed her a smile.

Chelsea squeezed his shoulder, "He told me something I want to warn you all about, because I care about you." she sighed, "He plans to have me destroy the Justice League."

"But, you'd never do something like that," Wally said with worry.

"From this moment on someone will always be with you," Clark said, looking back to the rest of the members, "We won't leave you alone, just to be safe."

"That doesn't solve anything," Batman interjected, "Flash and I were there the first time and there was nothing we could do to help her."

"Sounds like we're a bit in over our heads," Wonder Woman said with a frown.

"Landmarks," Batman spoke, "surroundings. Anything that could give away their location?"

"No," Chelsea shook her head, "I was in a plain white room, strapped to a bed. No windows. It was dimly lit."

"That's more significant than you know," Batman said, rubbing his chin, "Where else have we heard of white rooms?"

"Nick and Sam," Chelsea gasped, "Do you think..?"

"Wherever this doctor is stationed, he's still in the same place." Batman nodded.

"If I may," J'onn interjected, "it took a lot of strength for me to find your location. I don't think where this man hides is of this Earth."

"A different planet?" asked John Stewart.

"A separate dimension entirely sounds more accurate. I am lucky to have been able to recover her. There were strict restraints on this dimension." J'onn informed.

"Can you relocate it?" Bruce asked.

"I can try, but make no promises," J'onn revealed his arm to show that it had been badly burned in his attempt to pull her back.


	12. Chapter 12

_Sacrifice_

A couple days had passed since Chelsea's kidnapping. Despite the point Batman made about them being helpless to defend her when they were present with her before, Wally never left her side. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, which made everyone assume that whoever this Dr. XYZ was, he was plotting. Bruce had returned to the batcave and was pouring over information about medical staffs throughout Gotham in the last ten years. He didn't want to miss even the slightest clue. He also went over Chelsea's medical records time and time again. The doctor had used an alias that was simply untraceable. How did a guy manage to just disappear?

Bruce hadn't slept in almost seventy two hours. The idea that someone was out to get Chelsea kept him awake. Alfred watched over him with a look of worry. He looked so drained. He had seen him pull all-nighters before, but Bruce was still human. Rest was necessary for him to function properly. He knew if he tried to pull him away from his research, he'd simply protest and continue on with his studies.

Chelsea laid on her couch in her apartment, and Wally sat there beside her. She hadn't said much in the last few days. He knew she was worried. Quite frankly so was he. If something happened to her, he'd be at a loss. He wanted to try to get her mind off of it for a while.

"Come on," he said, tapping her leg with his hand, as he stood up.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Out," he told her, grabbing her hand.

They arrived at a building in Central City Chelsea was unfamiliar with. Though she wasn't really all too familiar with Central to begin with. When they walked in, the lady at the desk recognized Wally immediately, "Mr. Flash! The kids will be so happy to see you!" She stood up to go into the room behind her.

Chelsea took note of the plaque that was fashioned above the window of the front desk,_ "Central's Finest Orphanage"_ Her eyes went to Wally surprised, "Wally, you're the last man on Earth I would think of to adopt. You seem like you'd enjoy the baby-making process a little too much to miss out on it."

He shook his head and laughed, "What kind of guy do you take me for? Plus, I'm not here to adopt. I just come here to see the kids. It really lifts their spirits to meet a superhero. I thought if I brought you, they'd be happy to see you as well. Not as happy as I get when I see you, but still a significant amount," he winked.

Chelsea looked nervous, "Wal, I'm awful with kids. I don't have the patience for them…" she whined.

"You deal with me all the time right? I'm the biggest kid around." he nudged her.

The front desk clerk came back out to them and smiled, "They're really excited to see you both. Go on in." She unlocked the door that separated them from the kids and sat back down.

When Chelsea and Flash entered the room, all of the kids sat in lines on the floor very well behaved, "Mr. Flash is here!" said the caretaker woman as she grinned at Wally.

"And I brought a friend." He motioned his hand toward Chels, "This is Starlight."

"You guys can call me Star, if you want," she said sheepishly, becoming the most awkward buffoon when it came to children.

"Miss Star," a girl tugged at her pants leg, "are you Mr. Flash's girlfriend?"

Chelsea's face lit up like a Christmas tree, "Not exactly," she replied. She glanced at Wally and he smiled at her.

Wally wanted so badly for her to be his girl. He was perfectly fine with being her best friend she went on dates with, but that wouldn't last forever. He wanted to be able to freely love her the way she deserved, "Everyone gather around," he told them, and they all sat at his feet, "It's story time," He pulled up a chair, and their caretaker handed him a book, "Perhaps Miss Star would like to help me?" he hinted, grinning at her.

Chelsea sighed and came forward. She pulled up a seat beside him and watched him. She was surprised. For everyone giving Wally such a hard time for not being the brightest banana in the bunch, he knew how to keep up with these kids. He'd make an excellent day-care teacher or even pre-school teacher. He gave all the characters different voices and gestured with his hands to help the kids understand. He also made sure to interact with the kids and get their opinions on the plots and such. He did it so naturally. By the end of the book, Chelsea was smiling to herself.

"Alright children, recess!" the caretaker clapped her hands, and opened the back door to the playground, "Feel free to join us." she said, exiting out to watch over the children.

Wally stayed seated beside Chelsea as they watched the teacher follow after her kids, "You're a real natural," Chelsea told Wally.

"Nah," he waved it off, "kids are easy to keep amused. They just want someone to play with them, that's all."

"Maybe I should talk Clark into getting you a babysitter," she winked.

"Why do you think they keep you around?" he retorted.

She smiled at the floor, "I'm serious though, you're great with them." She studied all the pieces of artwork on the wall done by the children, "You ever consider having kids?" she asked, "You'd make a great father."

He shrugged, "Yeah, some day I want to. I love 'em." he stood up from the chair and stretched his back, "My old man and ma weren't exactly the most supportive bunch. My kids will never have to doubt that I love them."

Chelsea frowned. Were his parents really so negative? She'd never guess that on her own with how positive and upbeat Wally was about everything. She watched him wander around the room and examine the kids' projects on the wall. She came over to his side and smiled at him, "You bring all the girls here to woo them?" she asked, "Make you out to be Mr. Sensitivity?"

"No," he shook his head, "there's only one girl I'm trying to win over." he winked at her and leaned in to kiss her when the kids started to file back into the room.

"It's music time," the caretaker smiled, setting up a stool on the small stage. The kids sat down in front of the stage.

"I didn't prepare anything for that," Wally murmured.

"I got it," Chelsea put her palm on his back and then came forward.

"Let's give Miss Star a round of applause," the caretaker started to clap and the kids followed suit. Even Wally with a smirk decided to applaud. He wasn't sure what she would do, but with her shy nature, he was surprised she did it so willingly.

Chelsea adjusted the microphone, and lowered the volume, then whispered something to the caretaker who smiled at her and nodded. The caretaker took to the piano and started to play. Chelsea stood in front of the microphone, and started to sing. It was Ellie Goulding's remake of a classic Elton John song, called _Your Song_, "It's a little bit funny… this feeling inside." She started to sing lightly, "I'm not one of those who can, easily hide. I don't have much money, but boy if I did," she looked to Wally and smiled, "I'd buy a big house where, we both could live. So excuse me for forgetting, but these things I do…" she lifted her hands and gestured the left and then the right, "see I've forgotten if, they're green or they're blue. Anyway the thing is, what I really mean… yours are the sweetest eyes… I've ever seen."

Wally was so surprised by how natural she looked on stage for being so shy. A smile unlike any other spread across his face. She was one amazing woman.

"And you can tell everybody, that this is your song. It may be quite simple but, now that it's done," her eyes glanced over each face in the crowd, "I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I've put down in words: how wonderful life is, now you're in the world." When she finished, the kids cheered and hollered. Wally whistled and met her halfway when she got down off the stage and was walking up to him.

"You're incredible, you know that?" Wally asked her.

"Nah, I was scared out of my head. If you make a mistake with kids you never recover." Chelsea admitted, her cheeks rosy with embarrassment.

After they left the orphanage, they arrived at their usual ice cream place about ten minutes later. When they sat down Wally whistled at the waitress, "The usual?" she asked. He nodded and then smiled at Chelsea. Chelsea stared out of the window blankly.

"Chels?" wondered Wally

She looked at him and forced a smile. Her mind had long since returned to the situation at hand, "Sorry, started to daydream..." she stood up, and so did he, "I'm just going to the bathroom. I think I've got it covered." she winked at him.

He sat back down and watched her walk into the bathroom. When Wally's usual five banana splits arrived at the table he was more than ready to dig in. That's when he saw a hand reach down into his bowl and pluck the cherry from his dish. He looked up to see a red head with icy blue eyes and a rocking body staring at him. She bit the cherry off of the stem, "Hey," she greeted.

Wally tripped over his tongue that had been sprawled out across the floor. He made a sound that wasn't even human.

She giggled at him and put the stem in her mouth, then took it out to reveal she put a knot in it with her tongue, "You're really cute… Flash right?" she asked, her voice seductive and teasing.

Flash stood up from the table, "So you've heard of me," he raised an eyebrow.

She ran her hand across his cheek, "People talk," she smiled, "but that's not the best way to use lips, now is it…?"

Chelsea came walking out of the bathroom to see some red headed hussy making a move on Wally. She felt a tinge of pain in her chest as she started walking up to the table. She couldn't get angry with him. She knew that. Wally and her were not exclusive. She had been on dates with Bruce. She had no leg to stand on with an argument. Instead of continuing forward, she stopped walking and just stared at them. Perhaps Wally and her were better off friends. Maybe that's what this situation was trying to tell her.

Wally's eyes glanced over to see Chelsea just staring at them. He wiggled out of the girl's confines, "Chels, don't get the wrong idea."

Chelsea smiled at him, "No, Wal. I see everything perfectly." she started for the door, and he was going to follow after her when the red head pulled him back. Without holding back she kissed him passionately.

Chelsea walked along the streets, heading back to her apartment. With Wally busy with that girl she now had no one to keep her company. She started rethinking everything that doctor had said to her, as well as the brother shapeshifter. It just now hit her that they knew about Bruce Wayne. For all she knew he could have been kidnapped or worse. Making her way to Wayne Manor she hit the call button on the large, outstretched, gothic fence around the property, "Alfred it's me." Chelsea told him.

Alfred answered, "Go ahead and let yourself in. I'll be there to speak with you momentarily." he opened the gates for her and she moved forward.

When she got to the door, she opened it and let herself in. Everything seemed really quiet, but Alfred didn't seem alarmed, so perhaps they didn't target Bruce yet. She walked into the nearby parlor and scanned her surroundings. A chandelier hung above her, a large window with the curtains drawn to her left. In the center stood a large dining room table with many chairs. On the right wall was another door which she could only assume got you further lost in this wonderland.

As she approached the table, she saw something laying on top of it, like Alfred had momentarily gotten distracted and tossed it on the table to come back to it. It was a jacket. Chelsea picked it up, examining it further. Hold the phone… this was her jacket. She hadn't seen this for while. That's when it occurred to her: the last time she saw it, was the rainy night near Gotham West High School, with Batman. The feeling could only be described as the shock one would experience if they were blind their entire lives and could suddenly see clearly and fully.

Chelsea stood there in shock, just staring at the jacket. That's when she heard him from behind her, "Chelsea," Bruce's voice was rough, but not in the way of Batman, just sleep deprived, "What're you doing here?"

Chelsea turned around to reveal she had her jacket in her hands. She stared at him, waiting to see his reaction.

Bruce was good with not showing emotions outwardly. He looked at the jacket and knew instantly where her silence was coming from. His eyes locked onto hers, wondering if she would say something.

"So," she murmured, "this whole time…" she set the jacket on the table, "How did I not see it…?" she leaned back against the table and her eyes were searching for the answers on the floor.

Bruce didn't move. He wasn't sure what emotion she was feeling other than confusion.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" she finally asked.

Bruce locked his jaw, "No," he admitted without even considering it, "but now you know."

"After everything we've been through…? You wouldn't have told me? Eventually? Do you even trust me at all? And don't say you don't trust anyone! Because I know you trust me!" her voice was starting to leak with anger.

He sighed, "I trust you," it was sort of true, at least as far as people in close proximity to him go.

"This whole time…" she couldn't believe the hero she looked up to and the man she held the deepest desires for were one in the same. How did she not see it? It was so obvious to her now.

"I'm sorry," he meant that sincerely, "You shouldn't come here anymore." he instructed, "We'll see each other in passing at The Watch Tower, but-"

"Stop!" Chelsea barked, "No! You don't get to do that!" She pointed at him, "You don't get to make me care about you, love you, and then just write me off! I'm not like the others Bruce! I'm not the type to abandon someone just because they're not perfect. You know what? Even now to me you still are. In every way!" she slammed her fist on the table as her eyes welled up. That's when she realized she had said the word 'love' and 'you' following it. Did she really just say that?

Bruce came toward her, and looked her over carefully. His lips parted to speak, but he didn't know how to form words. The woman he desired so much just admitted something. Perhaps without even realizing it herself. His hand reached out to her and cupped her cheek, brushing a tear away.

She remembered these hands. Rough, worked like sandpaper, but so strong. She swallowed, "Bruce…"

His lip curled up for just a second, "Don't you mean _Mr. Wayne_?"

She couldn't help, but start to laugh. She laughed until more tears slid down her cheeks, "Very funny…" she said sarcastically.

He got her to laugh. It was silly in his mind, but it felt like a huge accomplishment. He saw her start to speak, and silenced her with his thumb. Leaning forward he claimed her lips once more. He missed the taste of her mouth. The softness of her lips. The innocence of her touch. This kiss wasn't extended as long as previous ones between them had been, but it was still as passionate as all the others. He stared into her eyes longingly, but the dominant emotion was confliction. He was so conflicted. Here stood a person, unlike any other, one he couldn't see himself living without. He had never felt like this before.

Chelsea pulled away from him and took his hand in hers, "I think I understand now." she told him, "Oh my god your parents…" she covered her mouth. If Batman and him were one in the same then, "The man of Gotham who has everything… and still ends up with nothing…" she murmured, staring at his pained expression, "I am so sorry."

He looked down at their hands, and tried to change the subject, "I've been staring at hospital records for hours… I can't find the man who did this to you. I haven't slept in over three days and I'm probably not thinking the clearest, but I promise you this much. I will protect you."

She believed him with all of her heart, but she didn't want to be protected. She wanted to stand on her own two feet. She'd take on the whole fleet of them if it meant protecting the ones she loved. That's when it occurred to her,_ "Father wanted me to fetch you. So I did. He's taught me and the others such valuable things. My twin sister and I can change our appearances,"_ Those words echoed in her eardrums. Could it have been that-? Her eyes widened, "Bruce I have to go!" she started for the door.

"Where?" he barked, following after her.

"Wally," Chelsea replied, "they attacked us and I missed it completely! There's a pair of shapeshifting twins. A boy and a girl. The girl was hitting on Wally when I left him at the parlor." She turned back to him momentarily, "I have to help him. I don't know what she's capable of, but I know it's her. I got a bad feeling from the moment I saw her!"

She started to exit out the door when Bruce grabbed her arm, "You shouldn't go alone."

"I'll go on ahead, and you follow," she instructed. When it came to Wally, there was no waiting around. Quickly she pulled away and bolted off into the sky. She hoped she wouldn't be too late.

Bruce watched her take off, amazed at how quick she was to drop everything when it came to Wally. Would she have done the same for Batman? He could only wonder.

Chelsea chimed into the communicator, "Wal! Wally are you there?" she spoke, but no reply, "Flash!" she cried. Her heart stopped when she saw the ice cream parlor had been nearly leveled and was set ablaze. She landed in front of the building, or what was left of it, feeling tears burn the back of her eyeballs. When the final beam collapsed and the building fell, out from the mayhem came none other than Batman with an unconscious Flash in his arms. Bruce was still choking on some of the smoke inhalation. Coming forward Chelsea looked at him and then to Wally. When her eyes met Bruce's however, she had this odd feeling. Her fist balled up, and a light was now in Batman's face, "I didn't fall for it once, and I never will…"

A small laugh escaped the Batman's lips, "You must really love him…"

She looked over Wally, her eyes then narrowed as if disgusted as she pounded the fake Wally in the stomach. Batman revealed himself as the male twin, and Wally, the female. Chelsea struck a defensive stance, "Where is Wally?" the two did not attack her.

Instead, "Aww, abandoned the Bat already?" asked the girl.

"What?" Chelsea growled.

"Shadow caught us a Bat flying over this way…" informed the boy twin.

Chelsea shouldn't have left Bruce alone. She was careless. Reckless when it came to Wally. Her heart sank. Now both of the people she cared more about than the whole damn world were in trouble and it was all her fault.

"Come with us. Their fates depend on your actions," said the girl.

Chelsea had no choice, "Lead the way."

They were teleported instantly back to that dimension. White walls everywhere, no windows. As they walked down a long hallway, the twins were granted access to a regularly sealed room. Chelsea was walking in front of them. They wanted to keep a close eye on her. Of course her brain was working like clockwork. They walked through this empty room, but Chelsea took note of a concealed button on the wall. When they entered the room next door, there were Flash and Batman, arms and legs bound in futuristic shackles that pulled each limb apart in a way that their bodies made an X shape, limiting mobility. Wally was unconscious, but Bruce however, had a cold stare, as he looked passed Chelsea and onto the troublesome twosome behind her.

"Batman," Chelsea said, starting to walk forward, but the male twin pulled her back. Her eyes went to Wally who was slouched in his entrapment. Her heart started to burn with pain, "Wally…" she whined, "what did you do to him?"

The doctor appeared out of thin air, "As I hypothesised, you came." he spoke with a gentle tone. Walking up to Chelsea he grasped her chin once more, "I know you won't leave without them, so I thought I'd bring them here… with a proposition in mind." Chelsea swallowed hard and he smiled at her, "Good girl…" he ran his fingers through her hair, "I'll make you a deal… do as I say, and they live."

"Or else..?" Chelsea growled through her teeth.

"Ah," he pulled away from her and started to walk back and forth with his arms behind his back, then held up his left index finger, "If you so much as disobey, I will kill them, which will mean you, will indirectly, kill them. For the speedy one… I'll accelerate his molecules at such a rate it will cause him to vanish. He was be trapped in some dimension, and you will never be able to find him."

"Don't listen to him!" Bruce protested, "He's just trying to blackmail you! Find a way out of here! You shouldn't have come!"

"For the Batman," the doctor tapped his chin, "at first I thought your punishment would be to fight him to the death as your purpose originally entailed, but then I thought… he is just a man. So instead, I've made a serum. A serum that will act as a poison. Slowly, it will rip him apart from the inside out. Painfully, slowly, and he'll have you to thank for it."

"He's bluffing," Batman huffed.

The doctor turned to Batman and pulled a syringe from his lab coat. The serum inside was a deep purple color. He was about to stab him in the chest with the needle when Chelsea blasted the doctor's hand with a light bolt and spun around to knock the twins back into the wall. She then came toward the doctor and started her attack on him, send him spiraling to the ground.

He slicked his blonde hair back and raised his hands to stop the twins from returning fire, "Chelsea, you disappoint me… you have exposed your weaknesses so willingly, and I have them tangled in my grasp." Chelsea was standing in front of Batman, as if protecting him. Tears burned down her cheeks. She was so frustrated! What could she do?

Wally started to shake his head, "Oh man, my head…" he groaned. When he opened his eyes and they focused, he looked around the room, "Woahhh, what did I miss?" he took note that he was chained and saw the doctor, "You're that guy Chelsea was talking about! What's going on here?" he noticed the female twin waving at him and his expression grew cold.

"Wally…" Chelsea breathed. She hovered in front of him and wrapped her arms around him tight, "Oh thank God you're alright…" she rubbed her cheek against his and looked into his eyes, "I'm so sorry… it's my fault you're trapped like this…" her eyes turned back to Bruce. He watched them expressionlessly. She landed, standing in front of them with her arms outstretched, facing the doctor, "You're wrong." The doctor waited for an explanation, "They're not my weakness… they're my strength."

She hovered up into the air and shot at the cuffs that kept them suspended off the ground. Her force was strong enough to break them. When Batman and Flash hit the ground, landing on their feet, Chelsea reared back and shot a blast at the doctor so impressive he smacked the ground hard. The twins started their pursuit, but it was cut short when Batman used one of his net guns to trip and tangle them up together. Flash ran around them several times, making the mess of knots they were in, all the more challenging. He was at Chelsea's side once more, and Bruce was on her other. Without hesitation she grabbed for their hands and raced into the other room. She guided them to one side of the room, then tossed Bruce something as she went over to the other side.

Bruce caught the object and looked it over. A cell phone?

"Uh Chels," Wally started to wonder what was going on, "shouldn't we be finding a way out of here?"

"We are," she told them, "They'll never stop you know? They'll never stop pursuing me until I face them. And in their pursuit they will likely try to take you both from me. I cannot handle that. So…" she smashed her fist into the emergency exit button, sparks shot from it as a gate opened up behind them.

"What?!" Wally looked back over his shoulder then to her once again, "What're you-?"

"Chelsea, don't-!" Bruce started to argue.

"Goodbye…" Chelsea said, teary eyed as she shot bolts at both of them to send them through the gate. It closed up behind them instantly and disappeared. Chelsea lowered her hands down to her sides and the door opened, revealing the doctor. He stared at her thoughtfully. She looked back with an empty expression.

"Can I ask… why you did that?" asked the doctor.

"Because," Chelsea turned away from him to examine the broken button on the floor, "they'll come. It may be a week, months, possibly years… but they'll find me… and when they do…" she turned back to him, "We'll take you down."

Batman and Flash were spat out of the gate onto an abandoned street in Gotham. They were thrown, and rolled across the ground a few times before they stopped. Wally shook his head and instantly popped up on his feet. He ran to where the gate once was and started frantically looking around, "Bats! Why did she-? How did-? What're we-?" he started to tremble, "She's gone…" he finally accepted it and sighed, sinking to his knees.

Batman walked up beside him. The object Chelsea tossed to him. It was a new cell phone. So she must have bought a new one after he smashed her former one. He activated the screen to see there were pictures of inside the facility. She had also recorded the whole experience while having the lens poking out of her pocket. She was giving them clues. She wanted to be found, "Stand up," Batman commanded, "you won't find her on the ground like that."

"What is that?" Flash stood up to take a look at the video playing on the phone.

"The way back…" Bruce said, turning to walk off.

Flash looked confused, "English, please!" he begged, following after him.

Author's Notes: Hello everyone! I just wanted to thank everyone for the positive feedback and support! Gosh it means so much to me! I really appreciate it. Your reviews bring a smile to my face. So again... thank you.


	13. Chapter 13

_A Never Ending Battle_

Several days passed…

All the while Chelsea never stopped fighting. They kept her in constant battle for days, never allowing rest, once and a while there would be crackers and water served to keep her alive, but she had to eat and drink and fight all at the same time just to stay alive. The doctor was testing her limits, which as he found out turned out to be quite a lot. Even in moments where it looked like she would give up and break down, she never did. Her expression was stone cold. Her body unwavering. Her body had certainly took a beating, and was missing the usual nutrition necessary to stay strong. On the fourth day she felt it, and they saw it. Her patience finally snapped. She started to beat these people to an inch of their life.

She had the male twin in her grasp, eyes glowing hollowly. Dr. XYZ's voice echoed over the intercom, "Go ahead my dear… kill him."

Chelsea realized the position she was in and instantly let him go. She stared at him for a moment, "I apologize."

"She's almost ready," whispered Dr. XYZ to himself, and then came over the intercom once more, "You may take a break for the rest of day. Show her to her room."

Shadow guided her to a cell gate. Instead of protesting Chelsea just went inside and sat on the cold floor without a fuss. She hadn't had rest in days. Her body collapsed the moment it had stopped moving. As she rested her cheek against the concrete ground she wondered just how long it had been? What she figured to be a few days felt like it had been at least a month. She did enough fighting for that stretch. In this place you died if you didn't fight, or you died while fighting; Whatever came first, but she had learned some interesting facts.

The doctor only had perhaps four followers: the twins, Shadow, and some boy who apparently was some Superman rip off because he only had super strength. She also noticed that perhaps the reason XYZ was so bent on having her, was because these all seemed like failed subjects. The twins could not make a perfect transformation. They would fool the average human being, but they made errors that anyone could notice. Wonder Boy with the super strength wasn't very bright mentally, and while he could lift tons of pounds his fighting techniques were lacking and he was very slow. Shadow was perhaps their strongest, but the boy could only hide in shadows. What was the point if your strength was still just that of a humans? Not to mention in these empty white rooms there weren't many shadows cast.

Chelsea was the only experiment that went right. That must have burned the doctor to no end. Even Nick and Sam had been their own demise. What could she do to improve this mess? She wanted to go home. She missed her friends. She was so numb by this point she couldn't feel the tears pooling underneath her cheek as they cascaded sideways down her face. Within minutes she was out cold, so very tired from the past four days.

At the Watch Tower, everyone had done their best to pull their weight around and try to figure out exactly where Chelsea was being held. They were all well aware that the longer it took the less likely she was to survive or worse, become a lifeless droid like the others.

Something had occurred to J'onn as he sat quietly at the monitors, "The realm for which we seek… we are perceiving it incorrectly. It is not a place after all."

"What do you mean J'onn?" asked Superman, confused by his words.

J'onn turned to face everyone, "My theory is this… the first evening Chelsea spent with us. Do you remember what happened?"

Wally did, "Everyone was going bonkers because of some sound waves being put off by the computers… right?"

"You're on the right track," Batman commented, "but-" he instantly realized what J'onn was getting at, "It was that doctor! We never did find out who infiltrated the system, so-"

"So when you jammed the motherboard, it created an opening. A doorway into…" J'onn motioned his hand to the monitor, "a realm inside our very communication system. Inside that evil man can find whatever records he wants about the Justice League. Old cases, weaknesses, even footage on what we're doing every second of every day. He was watching us. This whole time he's been watching…"

"How is that even possible?" Wally wondered.

"My only hypothesis is that… the man Chelsea referred to as Dr. XYZ has the power to create his own dimension. One under his discretion and judgment." J'onn replied.  
"The real question is… how do we get inside?" wondered Batman with narrowed eyes.

"Hello Justice League," the doctor flashed up on the screen, a smirk upon his face.

"We want our member back," Superman instructed.

"Unfortunately, she's now a former member of the Justice League. She has much bigger things ahead of her, like leading her own league…" said XYZ casually.

"She'd never work for you," Wally growled.

"See for yourself," he nodded, as his image disappeared and a live feed took his place of Chelsea in a city with the rest of the evil members.

"That's Gotham!" cried Superman.

Batman was already out the door. The others followed suit as they gathered in an aircraft and immediately were in pursuit of what they didn't want to believe with their own eyes. No damage had been done yet, but this new league of evil doers were standing inside a ballroom of a Gotham Hall, awaiting their dance with destiny.

"You will lead them," the doctor told Chelsea, "or you will regret it." he slapped a bracelet on her wrist.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Consider it an amplifier. Your powers will increase exponentially. This is the start of a new age… a new race… a new you." he disappeared.

Her new members stood behind her, ready to fight whatever came through the doors in front of them.

"Lucky us you decided to come out of hiding," Superman said, nearly busting the heavy doors off of their hinges. The rest of the league was behind him, unsure of where Chelsea's loyalties lie anymore.

"No need to hide anymore," said the male twin stepping up. His sister waved to Wally once more.

"Chels," Wally took a step forward, and then was in front of her, "tell me it isn't true."

Chelsea looked down at her wrist and then up to Wally, her eyes glowing a radiant light, "Wally, I'm sorry," She swung her fist intentionally, knowing Wally could duck in time and instead pounded the female twin into the wall. Ripping off the bracelet she destroyed it with a bolt of light and smiled at Wally, "but your new girlfriend's a real bitch."

"What are you doing?!" barked the doctor appearing out of thin air behind his subjects.

"You really thought this would work, didn't you?" Chelsea asked, turning toward him and the other failed excuses for villains, "You really think I'm afraid of you? I've seen your fleet! I've battled them for days on end and I continued to win… I don't have to worry about them or the well being of my friends! Your threats are hollow, your efforts are in vain, and you will burn for the problems you've caused." The Justice League members all stared in awe. How did someone so small have such courage? Superman smiled with pride. She was just what this team was missing after all, "Clark if I may…" Chelsea's eyes started to glow once more, "Justice League… let's do what we do best…." a smile spread across her face.

Within moments XYZ's children had either fallen or retreated. Things grew serious when the sound of a revolver was fired into the air. Everyone stopped. The doctor had his gun pointed directly at Chelsea, "You will die, with this dream…" he fired, but the bullet's projection was swayed by Wally's speed. However… Wally's legs went out from under him as he hit the ground hard. He started to hold his knee and wince with pain.

"No!" cried Chelsea, coming to his side, "Why did you do that? What were you thinking?"

He continued to hold his leg, "I had to redirect the bullet somehow… I just didn't mean to redirect it at me," he laughed lightly. His leg was bleeding profusely.

"Your knee… how will you be able to run anymore?" tears burned down her cheeks.

"You know I bruise like a peach," he smiled at her, "Come on, I haven't seen you in days. Don't cry…"

"This is all because of you," spoke the doctor to Chelsea, "if you had just done what you were told." He set his aim toward Batman, "I suppose this is poetic justice really… the Batman, falling the same way his mother and father did before him."

Chelsea stood up quickly. When the next shot was fired, she moved quickly enough to pull Bruce out of the way. The gun attempted to fire again, but instead it clicked, "I really got to thank Wally for the speed training sometime," she was staring up into Bruce's eyes, when she looked back to the doctor, "that's the problem with guns doc," she started to walk toward him, "they run out of bullets…"

The doctor didn't look worried, "Fall." he instructed. The gun fired once more, blasting a hole into her side. The hot lead burned her insides. Chelsea couldn't blink as she felt her heart start to spasm in a panic. Blood was gushing from her body. He had placed the bullets in the chamber in the exact order he wanted: Bullet, bullet, blank, bullet… he figured he'd get at least one hit. Chelsea's blind admiration for the two men she loved, he knew she'd protect them and they would protect her. There would be no negative outcomes for him, "I'll say it again… they are your weakness, child."

Chelsea collapsed to the floor in front of all of her teammates.

"No!" Wally screamed, forcing himself to his feet and coming over to her.

Batman was frozen. It felt like he was a helpless child again. Like it was happening all over again.

"I'll get her to a hospital!" Wally said, picking her up.

"But Wally your leg," Wonder Woman protested.

"I can't feel a thing," he assured.

"Go now!" boomed Batman, "She's on blood thinners. She's going to bleed out in minutes! Go!" he repeated.

Wally moved as fast as his legs could take him.

Batman watched as he disappeared out of the door and stared at the pool of blood she left behind.

"Go with him," Superman instructed, "You need to be with her."

Batman's stare was hollow and distant. He felt himself giving up. Did the bad guys actually win this time? If she died, they would indeed.

"I'll handle it," Superman instructed.

"We'll handle it," corrected Wonder Woman. Hawkgirl and Green lantern stood beside her, ready to avenge their fallen comrade.

Batman watched his friends take off after the man who was now on the run from the Justice League. He couldn't move. He was still in the moment. Watching blood burst from her body over and over. Quickly he turned to the emergency exit, hitting a button on his utility belt. The batmobile waited for him outside. Jumping in and setting the location, he immediately turned it to autodrive and let it go.

Wally had arrived at the hospital still in flawless time, "Please, you've got to help her," he pleaded with the receptionist. They brought a rolling bed out for her and took her back immediately.

"She's on Warfarin. She needs a blood transfusion now." a voice said from behind Wally. A man in a black leather jacket, white shirt, and dress pants came forward, with his usual shiny black shoes on his feet, "I'm blood type O. Take as much as you need."

The receptionist gasped, "Bruce Wayne? I mean, right away Mr. Wayne!" she scurried off to the nurses' board.

Wally's face scrunched with confusion. How did Bruce Wayne know Chelsea was in so much trouble?

Bruce's gaze turned to Wally as he glanced down at his leg, "Get this man a bed now!" Bruce barked out more orders at the other receptionists and they all took heed to his words.

Wally had heard that booming voice before. His jaw fell open, as a girl started to help him into a wheelchair.

"We'll talk later," Bruce told him, as they wheeled him off. Once they got Wally settled in after managing to remove the bullet and stitch up the wound, Bruce came into his room. He knew it was his because the door white board read,_ The Flash_. He was still a bit groggy from the medicine they put in his system, "The doctor told me there was minimal damage done to your knee. The run here managed to lodge the bullet further in, but there's no permanent damage. A couple months without running and you should be back to normal. You're lucky."

"That bites," Wally groaned, "Running is sort of my thing, you know?"

"Not anymore. At least, not for a while." Bruce told him.

Wally looked him over, "I can't believe I never put two and two together… Does Chelsea know you're- you're-?"

"Yes," Bruce rolled his eyes, "she just found out recently."

Wally started to chuckle as his gaze went to the window, "I really don't have a chance then…"

"You've lost me," mumbled Bruce.

"Oh come on Bats!" Wally shook his head, "For being a smarty pants you're really dense."

Bruce gave him a cold look.

"Chelsea, is totally crazy about you," Wally told him, "According to Diana, she's been in love with Bruce Wayne ever since her scholarship reception, and she's been in love with Batman for half of her life! It was one thing to be competing with some rich boy-"

Bruce's gaze never faltered.

Wally decided to change his original wording, "Successful business man, but Batman?"

Bruce took a deep breath, "She's been gone for hours. They haven't told me anything. They've taken as much blood as they can without knocking me out cold," Bruce stumbled back into a chair beside Wally's bed, "she could very well die tonight, Wally. If she isn't now, she probably will be dead by morning…" he covered his face with his hands.

"Man, how do you live that way..?" asked Wally, giving him a confused look. Bruce peeked through his fingers at him, "You can't give up on her like that… she'd never give up on you. I think… you were always her hero, Bats…"

Bruce sat back in his chair and sighed, "And look where that got her."

Hours passed. Bruce took to the rooftop of the hospital to collect the thoughts that bounced around inside his head. He had never felt this lost before. As a child he was lost without parents, as a man, he was just lost.

"Hey," greeted Superman quietly, landing beside his long-time friend. He sat down beside him. He always knew when Bruce was sulking, because he'd always find him staring off into space at his city, "Gotham actually doesn't look too bad lit up at night, does it?"

Bruce covered his face with his hand, "Clark…" his tone was rough, "There's something we have to discuss."

"I'm all ears," Clark told him, "Did you hear anything yet?"

Bruce shook his head, "No," he looked out at his city. The very place he was sworn to protect, but he couldn't even protect one young girl, "Consider this my resignation…"

"What? But Bruce you can't-" Clark stood up quickly.

"If she dies Clark…" Bruce stood up without turning his gaze from the city, "then Batman will die along with her." with that hanging in the air Bruce walked off without another word. Bruce made his way back to Wally's room. He actually felt sympathy for the very man he had been envious of for some time. Now he didn't envy him at all. As he walked into the room, Wally greeted him with a smile and turned down the TV.

"Man, someone has got to tell the owner of this place that the food here stinks," Wally joked as an icebreaker.

Bruce crossed his arms, "Noted."

It took Wally a moment to realize he was talking to the owner, "Seriously yo?" he shook his head, "You've got to be kidding me."

These two men were so different. One older, more refined, and classy. The other young, naive, with all the love and kindness in his heart. Both so in love with the same woman they could hardly see straight. Wally pulled his cowl back revealing his face, "Wally West," he held out his hand, "I figure it's only fair… since I know who you are now and everything."

Bruce stared at Wally's hand, "I already knew who you were."

Wally pulled his hand back and crossed his arms, "I hope you're nicer than this to Chels."

Bruce took a seat in his chair once more. He was so tired. He wanted so badly to know her condition. Suddenly the door opened and Chelsea's bed was wheeled into the room beside Wally's. She had an IV drip and a bag of Bruce's blood handy just encase there were any sudden complications. A doctor followed in to let Bruce and Wally get the rundown, "You got her here in great time. We gave her a shot that reversed the effects of the Warfarin, which helped with some of the bleeding. She won't be able to take blood thinners for a while, but I don't think she'll need to. Her lungs and heart look healthy. No clots to report. The bullet didn't hit any organs or anything vital so she was incredibly lucky. Her system is very malnourished and she could stand to put on some weight to help with the shock on her body, but I think she'll pull through. It's strange, but I know they don't call you superheroes for nothing," he gestured to Wally, "but her systems were already in the phases of fixing themselves. It's a waiting game now."

"Thanks doc," Wally flashed him a smile. The doctor and nurses exited the room shortly after.

Bruce quietly stood up and looked her over. They had gauze wrapped around her stomach, but it looked very neatly done. These doctors had to be the best in Gotham to work for Bruce Wayne. Everyone around him had been bending over backwards for him. If this girl was important to him, she was important to every single staff member here. Taking her small fragile hand in his, he felt himself start to tremble. That's when he felt her grip his hand. Her eyes half opened slowly, "Hello Mr. Wayne…" she joked half-heartedly.

He smiled at her and pressed his forehead to hers, "Don't ever," he whispered, "scare me like that again."

Wally smirked at the both of them, "Hey I was worried too ya know!" he waved his hands frantically.

"Oh Wally your leg…" Chelsea looked at him sadly.

"I just can't run on it for a while," he shrugged.

"That's awful… I'm so sorry… it's all my fault," Chelsea sighed.

"No," he shook his head, "it'll heal and I'll be faster than before." he winked at her. He reached his hand out to her and she grabbed it welcomingly, "I missed you… so much." he admitted, getting teary eyed.

"Aww Wal, don't cry…" Chelsea said softly, "I'm alright guys," she looked at Bruce, "really."

"Why? Why did you jump in front of a bullet for me?" asked Bruce, "I'm plenty capable of running, dodging… something."

"I know better. You'd never run…" She replied, "You'd stare the devil himself down, Bruce. I'd do it every time if it meant to keep you from harm. I'd do it for either of you." she looked back to Wally, squeezed his hand, and then squeezed Bruce's hand with her other, "I'm so glad… I woke up and you were both here with me."

The rest of the Justice League filtered into the room with hopeful smiles, "Look at you two." Superman grinned.

They were all still in their crime fighting uniforms, "So that's what Batman looks like," joked John Stewart.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" grinned Wonder Woman.

Chelsea looked at Bruce apologetically, "It's my fault they know…"

Bruce looked irritated, "I'll take them finding out over losing you any day." He straightened his back and gave them all cold stares, "but if it leaves this room…"

"Remember your blood pressure Bruce," teased Clark.

Chelsea glanced up at the blood bag that hung beside her IV bag. It wasn't attached to anything so she assumed it was for emergency purposes.

Wally caught her staring at it, "You can thank the billionaire for your consciousness."

Chelsea looked at Bruce confused, "What does he mean?"

"They took my blood to keep you alive. I'd had given them every last drop if it would keep you safe." Bruce brushed her hair back with his hand.

"Looks like you've got Batman's blood rushing through your veins now," grinned Clark, patting her on the shoulder.

"Did you find Dr. XYZ?" the question had been terrorizing Bruce for hours.

Superman frowned, "Sorry, Bruce…"

"I cannot sense his presence anymore." J'onn said out into the open, "he has even erased the realm he created in our computer systems. I am not sure how he did it, but I will continue to search for him," he placed a reassuring hand on Bruce's shoulder, "I promise you that."

After some idle chat Chelsea had drifted off to sleep. She was so exhausted. The last few days had proved to bring about many trials and tribulations to her life. She never counted on getting shot, but who ever does? Bruce was about in the same boat. His head was rested back against the wall, between the two beds, sitting in a god awful chair. His eyes would close for a time, but open some time after.

Wally finally spoke up, "You look awful Bats. Why not get some rest?"

"It's hard to sleep knowing he's still out there." Bruce murmured. His gaze turned to Wally and a small smile appeared on his face only momentarily, "I want to talk to you about something Wally."

Wally raised an eyebrow, "Sure, what's up?"

Bruce looked back at Chelsea and watched her sleep, "I didn't understand it at first, and once I realized it, I denied it with every fiber of my being." He looked back to Wally, "I love her very much. I've never loved anyone. I tried to make myself incapable of that emotion. Caring for individuals was hard enough. Any spilled blood would be on my hands," he reflected on Dick, Barbara, Alfred, and Tim who he loved and cared for very much, just not in the way he loved Chelsea, "I don't know how she did it… but for the longest time I've felt like there were two worlds... mine, and everyone elses. She so openly welcomed me in hers, and forced her way into mine. Without realizing it, I let my guard down around her, because I was so fascinated by her… so moved by her talent."

He thought about her artwork and how beautiful it all was, "What I'm trying to say is…" Wally swallowed, awaiting to hear his next words, "I will never be the man she deserves." Bruce looked into Wally's eyes hard, "You should be with her. With you she can have a normal life. A normal relationship filled with love, and closeness, and tenderness, that I simply cannot provide. There is truth in what everyone says about me. I'm cold… I gave up on emotion because it only held me back."

"Woah- Bats…- Bruce," Wally waved his hand at him, "First of all, I don't think it's your decision on who Chelsea decides she wants to be with. Maybe it will be me, maybe it will be you, or maybe it'll be some guy we've passed on the street." Wally wanted so badly for it to be himself, but he didn't want to feel like Chelsea was some prize being handed to him, "Secondly man, what are you talking about? I've never met someone more emotional than you."

"I've been angry before, but-" Bruce tried to protest, but Wally cut him off once again.

"You're human. You get mad… but that's not what I'm talking about. Batman… that whole thing is based on emotion, right? Losing your parents hurt in a way you never knew existed, I get that. Almost losing Chelsea tonight resurfaced those emotions. You love Gotham. You love her. And don't think I haven't noticed the glares you've shot at me when I'm with her," a laugh escaped his lips, "When I heard she went out on a date with Bruce Wayne do you have any idea how intimidated I was? For the first time I wasn't the only one she wanted to be around, and it hurt me in a way I didn't know existed…" Wally had been envying him too, "You're not emotionless Bruce… you're not a robot. You've just got a lot of baggage… who doesn't?"

"Baggage Chelsea doesn't need," Bruce sighed.

"Say what you want… eventually, one of us is going to end up hurting… but you know what?" Wally grinned at him, "I'm okay with that. Even if there's a chance I'll end up empty handed… there's also a chance I'll have perhaps the most wonderful thing in the world…"

Bruce looked at Wally, so moved. If he couldn't be with Chelsea himself, he didn't trust anyone else with her heart except Wally. He meant everything he said. Why couldn't he reach inside himself like Wally could?

"She's my best friend Bats… Nothing, not even her breaking my heart, could change that. I'll still be right there beside her… even if she decides I'm not what she wants as something more than what we have." Wally stared at Chelsea's slumbering state as he spoke, "I love her, that much."

Two days later Chelsea was released from the hospital. Her recovery was quite rapid. Guess it pays to be scientifically enhanced once and a while. She wasn't 100%, but she was getting there. Wally had been released the day before, but he stayed with her all the same. Bruce would be pulled away on business and even disappeared to do research in that time over Dr. XYZ, but otherwise he was by Chelsea's side as well, during her hospital stay.

Once settled back home at the Watch Tower, everything seemed to slowly gravitate back to normalcy. Wally and Chelsea were back to being thick as thieves; playing video games and watching old movies every Friday night, and pretty much being attached at the hip as always. Everyone was just relieved they hadn't lost her, or anyone else for that matter. The only real difference was that everyone was aware of Batman's true identity now. Ever since Chelsea's release, Bruce had been spending less and less time at the Watch Tower. After about four days of his absence, Chelsea decided she was going to see if he was alright.

"Where are you off to?" asked Wally, flopping down on her bed as she packed an overnight bag.

"I'm going to head home and work," Chelsea told him.

Wally half-smirked at her, "Why don't you just say you're going to go check up on him?"

Chelsea looked at him surprised, "I'm… just worried…" she admitted.

Wally stood up and wrapped his arms around her, "Make sure big ole grumpy bats is okay for all of us, alright?" he took a deep breath through his nose, taking in the scent of her shampoo. Nothing had surfaced about Chelsea's feelings, but he knew she had a special place in her heart for Bruce. It just couldn't be overlooked.

Chelsea embraced him back and kissed him softly on the cheek, "I'll be back, don't worry. If he didn't make me worry so much…" her voice trailed off, "Hey… Wal..?"

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Did he say anything to you about… being mad at me?" she asked.

"That's a silly thing to ask. I think out of everyone in the world Chels… you're the one person that makes him happy…" it was true what Wally said. Knowing that burned him in a way that seemed to linger in his heart.

Chelsea arrived at the Wayne Manor some time later. She landed on the doorstep and rang the doorbell. Within minutes Alfred came to the door, greeting her with the same welcoming smile he always did, "Ah, Miss Chelsea… it's been a while." He moved to the side and gestured for her to come in. Once she was inside he closed the door behind her, "I regret to inform you that Master Bruce is at a meeting right now."

Chelsea glanced at the grandfather clock nearby, "Meeting or… _meeting_?" she asked.

"The kind with CEOs, not psychos, my dear…" Bruce had told Alfred she knew about his identity, so it didn't catch him off guard.

"Got it," she nodded with a sigh.

"You know," Alfred started as he came to her side and put his hand on her shoulder, "Master Bruce never gave you the full tour. Are you aware we have an indoor pool?" he started to walk forward to show her what he was referring to. As they walked he showed her the ballroom, the entertainment room, as well as the other rooms Bruce had never introduced her to. Their final stop was the giant indoor pool with three hot tubs lined up on one side of it and a high dive on the other into the pool with three separate levels.

Wayne Manor was beautiful. It had such an elegance to it one only found in castles, "You look stressed. Why don't you take a swim and relax for a while? At the very least a hot tub ought to relax your body some, hmm?" wondered Alfred.

"But I don't even have a bathing suit with me Alfred," said Chelsea with a laugh of disbelief.

"That door over there is a changing room with a walk in closet that might resemble a swimsuit display room. Pick whatever you like. There's quite a variety for men and women." He informed her.

"What's the purpose of that out of curiosity?" asked Chelsea.

"Contrary to belief, Master Bruce is quite popular," he winked at her, "it was a gift from a line of clothing that wanted Wayne as their brand name…"

Chelsea smiled at him, "Oh really?"

"Please, enjoy yourself. I have some work I need to tend to." he bowed to her and then exited the room.

Chelsea took to the changing room and started skimming the vast selection it had to offer. She decided on a black bikini that tied in the back over her shoulders. The bottoms were boy short style. She started to walk down the steps of the pool and descend into the water. It was a heated pool so the water didn't shock her system very much. It was actually quite soothing. Perhaps Alfred was right. This was just what she needed. She pulled herself under and imagined herself falling. It was almost like she was meditating the stress away. What stress was it? She felt so plagued by emotions. Worry over the doctor still roaming free, fear that Bruce was upset with her, and confusion over her feelings. It had finally come to fruition in her mind: she was in love with two very different men.

She forgot she was under water and came to the surface when she needed air. Taking in the oxygen rapidly and then steadying her breathing she heard a voice from behind her that sounded like what she could only imagine an angel sounded like, "You alright?" Bruce asked.

She turned around to see him flopping his briefcase on a nearby lawn chair and loosening his black tie. He looked stressed and tired as usual. She swam over to the edge of the pool closest to him and stared up at him thoughtfully, "I came to check on you. No one's seen you in days."

He sat down in a lawn chair in front of her and leaned forward, "I've been busy."

"Is that what _avoiding me_ is called nowadays?" she asked.

His eyebrows scrunched at her words, "I'm not avoiding you."

"Could have fooled me…" she murmured, turning away from him and leaning back so she could float on her back.

He tilted his head with a pained look on his face, "I've been trying to locate Dr. XYZ as well… but it is like he's simply vanished." he stood up and crossed his arms, "But I would never intentionally avoid you." he was offended she thought so.

She looked at him puzzled, "No," she disagreed, "that is exactly what you would do. You can't fool me Bruce. I know you better than that." She levitated out of the water in front of him and grabbed his arm, pulling him forward, into the water. When she resurfaced, she looked over to see him slicking back his now wet hair. He looked like he was modeling without even trying. She almost fell into a trance for a second.

His expression was cold, but it faded when he looked at her once more, "Was that necessary?" he asked. His white button up shirt was sticking to his skin, revealing the very toned physique he had underneath.

She snapped back into focus, "I guess it was uncalled for… considering how much that suit probably cost you."

He chuckled at her logic, "Again, you worry about my money." It humored him. She was the only woman to ever care how his money was wasted. He walked toward her, all the while his shiny black shoes filled with water. He looked over her entire body for the first time. He was enthralled by her beauty, "Why did you choose black?" he wondered.

"What can I say?" she shrugged, "You inspire me."

His eyebrow perked, "Your favorite color is red though," he decided to play with her a little. He had been missing her desperately after all.

"How do you know what my favorite color is?" she wondered. She had never told anyone what her favorite color was.

The corner of his lip arched upward, "You always have some garment of red on, so I just assumed."

"Oh yeah?" she asked, impressed by his detective skills once again, "What else have you _assumed_?"

His lips spread into a confident grin, "I know your favorite flower is the iris. I know you love rainy weather the best, but winter is your favorite season. I know Italian cuisine is your favored choice. You can't go anywhere without chapstick in your left front pants pocket, and your strangest phobia is the dark."  
Chelsea stared at him completely confused. How did he know all of that?

"Shall I continue?" he asked, running his fingers through her wet hair, down to her shoulder and tilting his head.

"Are you messing with me?" she asked.

He chuckled at her again, "Your left arm is double jointed. You…" he cupped her face in his hands, and took a deep breath, "are so beautiful…" his expression turned serious, "You put everyone you care about before your own well-being… you're intelligent, brave, and have the kindest heart I've ever known…"

"Bruce…" she whispered, her eyes shimmering as she placed her hands on his.

The pain returned to his face as he searched for the right words to say. Pulling his hands away he frowned. Looking down at his shirt, he realized he must have looked rather silly. Soaked down to his skin, fully dressed. He pulled himself up onto the edge of the pool and started to strip off his shoes, emptying the remaining puddles that stayed concealed inside them. Setting them neatly to the side, he wrung out his socks and set them on top of the shoes, then sat leaned to his right, like he was posing for a photograph. Needless to say the perfection alarm was sounding off in Chelsea's head.

Bruce took note that she was staring at him once again. Her eyes were glancing at every part of his body. Running his fingers through his hair he spoke up, "Has anyone ever told you it's impolite to stare?"

Chelsea blushed, realizing how obvious she was making it, "I'm sorry," she admitted, "you're just so…" she stopped herself and looked away.

"Don't be shy now. You've already been caught. You might as well own up to your crime." he teased, lowering himself back into the water and stepping toward her. He had never seen her so nervous around him. It was really cute to see her face light up red like that.

So many words came to mind, "It's hard to describe you with just one word, Bruce…" she smirked, trying to play it off like her heart wasn't jumping around inside her body. Down to her stomach and then up into her throat, and everywhere in between.

He grinned, tilting his head the same fashion he always did when he playfully interrogated her, "Try me." he cooed.

She looked deeply into his eyes. Reaching up to the collar of his shirt, she slowly started to unbutton his shirt, one button at a time, from top to bottom. He wasn't expecting this. He watched her gently undo each one, carefully, slowly, almost seductively. For her eyes never left his as she worked. Once she had worked the last button loose, she levitated high enough out of the water to be at eye level with him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing her lips to his ear ever so slightly. She started to whisper sing softly to him, "For once, in my life, I have someone who needs me… someone I've needed so long." she ran her lips across his earlobe and continued, "For once I can go where life leads me, and somehow I know I'll be strong," she let a breath escape into his ear, "For once in my life, I won't let sorrow hurt me, not like it's hurt me before. For once I know, I've got someone who won't desert me… I'm not alone anymore." Tears sprang from both their eyes in succession. She pulled back to look him in the eyes.

She pressed her forehead against his, and sighed, "Oh Bruce…" she shook her head, "I…" she lowered her head in defeat, "I'm having this familiar feeling…"

He stared at her, without a word. He wanted her so badly right now. He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to hold her, he wanted to be apart of the parts of herself she was afraid to reveal. He had grown so weak in the time he met her. It's like he became a different man with her around. Like the man he should have been all along.

She looked him in the eyes once again, "I'm sorry… I've got a lot of issues… things I need to work out on my own before I… act. Please don't be upset with me I'm just so… lost." she lowered herself back into the water, trembling with shear emotional pain. She wanted to kiss him too. She wanted to put her trust into him. She wanted to share the parts of herself she had always been afraid to share with someone, but then again, there was another person she was just as willing to do all of these things with as well and it damaged her from the inside out.

Bruce reached out and cradled her face in his hands, "Issues I've got plenty of," he admitted to her, "Chelsea… you deserve so much better than all of this." he wanted to be what she deserved, but he just didn't feel like he was. There would always be a part of himself he'd never be able to surrender. He pressed his lips to her forehead, "No matter what… I'll always be there for you. Whether that be by your side, or from a distance."

Author's Notes: So she's still deliberating on who she wants to be with. I wanted to thank all of the loyal readers once more. Also, who do you like Chelsea with? Bruce or Wally? Also if anyone has any ideas or things they want to see happen (like some event, some date, etc) leave it in a review and if I think I can make it happen I'll add it into the story. See ya in the next chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

_The Best Kind of Medicine_

There's that moment.

The moment when one realizes what's about to happen. It comes to the surface all at once. In a single moment, "Acho!" Chelsea sneezed. The sudden burst only faltered Clark from his thoughts momentarily as he continued speaking to the group.

"What is that? Like the eighth time today?" asked Wally lowly with concern.

Chelsea rubbed her nose, "Yeah," she admitted, "I woke up with a really bad headache too." It was a standard training day around The Watch Tower. Members had to square off and train against the other. With Chelsea there now it allowed an even number, which made pairings a lot more successful. The rounds were randomly drawn.

Chelsea sneezed again. Her eyes started to water without warning. She caught her nose as it started to run, "I'll be right back. Sorry guys." She said scurrying out of the giant training room to grab a tissue. When she found a tissue to relieve her nose, she continued to sneeze,_ "No way,"_ she thought,_ "I refuse to get sick right now…"_ she returned to the group, ignoring the incessant throbbing against her skull. Her face was even paler than usual.

Upon her return Clark turned to her, "Star, you've been paired up with Hawkgirl. Are you ready?"

Shayera was quite the opponent, "Of course," Chelsea nodded.

They stood at either ends of the large ring-like area. The rest of the league was lined up on the sidelines as spectators. J'onn held up his hand and swung it down, "Begin!" he commanded.

Hawkgirl left no pause. She was already soaring toward Chelsea with such ferocity. Swinging her mace violently, Chelsea narrowly dodged and prepared a counter maneuver. She flipped backwards into the air and was ready to blast Shayera with a powerful glow when she felt that tickle in her nose. That single second of hesitation allowed for an opening. This time, Shayera made well of her time and delivered a devastating blow that not even she expected. That very instant, she regretted putting all of her might into it. She was so wrapped up in the moment, and Chelsea was so capable. What happened?

Chelsea was slammed into the wall and lay limp like a ragdoll on the ground. Everyone was shocked by this display, "Chelsea!" cried Wally racing to her side to help her. Bruce wasn't far behind.

Chelsea gripped Wally's arm, "I'm fine Wal." She insisted and then sneezed once again. Getting to her feet she dusted herself off and started to cough.

"I'm so sorry." Hawkgirl said, approaching her with the rest of the group.

"You were just doing your job… I just feel terrible." Chelsea admitted, "I think I'm getting sick. I know that's no excuse. I thought I could do it, but I can barely see straight with this headache I have. Something is going around on campus-" she was cut off from a cough, "-and I think it finally caught up to me."

Diana rested the back of her hand against Chelsea's forehead and then her cheeks, "You're burning up."

"Return to your room and get some rest." Clark instructed.

"I think I'm just going to go home." Chelsea told them with a nasally voice, "If I stick around it'll just spread through The Watch Tower and I don't want to be the reason for that." she made her way to the door and exited.

Once Chelsea had arrived at her apartment, she let herself in and kicked off her shoes. Tossing her keys into the dish near the door she flopped down on her couch and pulled a blanket on top of her. Scooting a box of tissues closer to her, she stifled a sneeze and turned on the tv. Somehow sleep seemed to come to her quite quickly.

She stirred about an hour later to the sound of her cell phone humming nearby. She answered the call, "Hello?" she asked sleepily.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" It was Wally.

Chelsea forced herself to sit up. Her body ached, "It's fine Wal." She assured him. There was a knock at her door. Prying herself up from the couch she made her way to the door, "What's up?" she asked into the phone.

When she opened the door there Wally stood with a smile on his face. He had a small brown bag and a rose in one hand, and held his cell phone in the other, "I brought you some medicine." he told her.

She shook her head and stepped aside so he could come in, "You shouldn't be here Wally. I'll make you sick."

He set the medicine bag on the counter and held the flower out to her, "I knew you'd say that, but I wanted to check on you." He smoothed back some of her hair. She accepted the rose and managed a smile through her sickly state, "I'd stay here and take care of you, but I had already promised the ladies at the orphanage I'd help them entertain the rugrats for the day."

Chelsea started to cough as she went to retrieve a vase from the kitchen to place her single flower in, "It's probably a good thing. I don't want you catching this."

"I've got a great immune system. It's nothing to worry yourself over." He approached her. She was hesitant because of her illness, but against her wishes, he placed a sweet soft peck on her forehead, "I'll come back once I'm done. I'll bring you dinner. Anything you want."

It was just like him to act this way. Her smile reappeared, "Surprise me."

He mirrored her smile, "As you wish." he winked.

The image of Westley from Princess Bride was engraved in her memory. They had watched it together some time ago. She wondered if he was intentionally quoting it or if his flirtation with her was as natural to him as his speed now. She guessed the latter. With that he zipped out the door just as quickly as he had appeared. She closed the door and took a glance at the flower sitting in the small glass vase. Wally was so sweet.

She plopped down on the couch and started to read the instructions to the cold and flu medicine Wally had brought for her. As she started to take a dose with water the news caught her eye. It had Vicki Vale interviewing Bruce. Instantly Chelsea's face grew warm. She snuggled a pillow against her chest, burying her mouth against the soft fabric. There was another knock at the door. Her face scrunched with confusion as she started for the door. When she opened it, there was the real deal. Bruce offered her a hopeful smile. He had a tupperware container in his hands.

"You too, huh?" she joked.

He raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

She shook her head, "Nothing." she waved it off and let him in. He took note of what she was watching on television and gave her an almost teasing glance, "Hush. It's not like I control what they show on the news."

"I hear they make these things for televisions called remotes. You might want to look into one." He teased, setting the tupperware on her kitchen table.

She took note of his rather outwardly charming teasing. She took her place beside him and covered her mouth to sneeze, "What's the tupperware for?" she questioned.

"You," he replied simply, "Alfred always makes me soup when I'm sick and wanted me to send some your way." She smiled at him with a big toothy grin. He caught on to this and stared at her puzzled, "What's that look for?"

"How did he know I was sick?" she wondered, getting him back for the earlier jab.

His tone was very serious, "I was worried about you."

Her face melted that into a more sentimental one, "Thank you." she said, "And thank Alfred for me. I'll have to do something for him. He's such a kind, selfless man."

"How's your fever?" he asked.

She had officially been caught. Turning her attention from him slightly she grabbed the container and started to put it in the fridge, "Well… I haven't exactly been monitoring it…"

He expected this, "If you took care of yourself half as well as you took care of everyone around you-" he started to say.

She turned to him and crossed her arms, "Look who's talking." She had a way of silencing him. Bruce had an answer for everything, but when it came to her, she was so quick witted. He loved that about her. She took her place on the couch. He sat in the armchair nearby. She stretched and curled up into a ball sitting upright with her pillow snuggled tight.

Bruce glanced around, "I have to admit, I'm surprised Wally isn't here."

Chelsea shrugged, "You missed him by about five minutes." She held up the medicine, "He dropped this off. He had prior commitments he couldn't get out of. Plus, I didn't want him to stay and take a chance on catching this bug I have." She paused and locked eyes with him, "Speaking of which… I don't exactly like the idea of making you sick either." The corner of his perfect lips curled upward momentarily. He was amused by her concern. Taking a deep breath and letting it slowly slip out of his nostrils he sat back in the chair, folding his fingers together in his lap. Bruce had on a brown suit, a yellow dress shirt, and black tie. His shoes had been recently polished because they glimmered more than usual. Chelsea could see there was something else concerning him. Beneath that emotionless stare was something much more, "Are you okay?" she asked with a sweet tone.

His eyes moved to meet hers once more. They were such a sorrowful blue. So deep like one could dive in them and get lost along the cascading currents. It was like he was trying to investigate her inner thoughts.

Chelsea tilted her head, "I'm still worried too, you know?" she said quietly, "I know he's still out there. That his presence and when he will strike next is all you can think about," She had to refrain from placing her germy hand on top of his. Instead she leaned forward a bit to look him over, "but life must go on in spite of that. You'll drive yourself mad over a man who doesn't deserve a single thought in your mind."

He brought his folded knuckles to his lips and outwardly sighed, "He's going to come back. I'm not sure when, but when he finds out you're not dead, he will try to alleviate that failure." He paused, collecting his thoughts from the beige carpet below him, "Something tells me, this is the calm before the unavoidable storm. And now you're ill. I don't like the idea of you sitting here by yourself… vulnerable… weak." He shook his head slightly, "And all the while," he said with the slightest hint of a chuckle, "you're concerned with making me sick." The corner of his lip arched up again, musing over how selfless she truly was.

She pursed her lips in a diagonal fashion, "Sweetheart, I don't know how you get through the day assuming the worst is yet to come. You're right. He's going to come back. It will probably be far worse than it was before…" she nodded, "but when he does, we'll be ready. He's a coward Bruce. He hides in his own diluted dimensions because he knows he is vulnerable here in the real world. It gives him time to plan yes… but it also gives us time to prepare." She controlled a cough and took a drink, "I guess I've just spent so much time thinking about it that I started to realize I was spending too much time on it. There are better things for me to put my energy into."

He was silent for a time, then raised his eyebrow.

"What?" she asked.

"I guess I'm just surprised… you actually called me Bruce." he was half joking, but also half serious. She had before, but the way she said it this time. So naturally in conversation. It was humorous to him.

She shook her head, resisting throwing her pillow at him, "Keep it up and I'll go back to Mr. Wayne as my default." She was caught off guard by his expression. He was smiling at her. It made her instantly blush. She didn't see him do this too often. She covered her cough and unfolded into a lying position on the couch, "Ugh…" she groaned.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"Please don't take this the wrong way… but…" she looked up at him, "Do you know how to use a microwave?"

Her question made his shoulders raise and lower with a chuckle, "What kind of question is that?"

She shrugged, "I don't know." she covered her face with the pillow out of embarrassment.

"Do you want some soup?" he deciphered the message.

She nodded slowly beneath the pillow of pity.

"I'm wealthy… but I'm not a moron." he joked, standing to his feet.

"I wasn't implying-!" she started to say, sitting up abruptly to watch him walk by. He turned back to look at her and she instantly coward down, "I'm sorry…" she said.

Her face was redder than Flash's suit. He tilted his head at her, "Red is a good color on you." he jabbed, before turning back to the kitchen.

Chelsea couldn't get enough of the soup that filled her bowl. Alfred was a genius. That man could do anything. Bruce idly watched her television while she ate. All the while, Chelsea was watching him. He caught on rather quickly, "Why are you staring again?" he asked, not averting his eyes from the tv.

Chelsea swallowed her spoonful and wondered if she should say what she was thinking out loud, "I guess… I just have never seen you so… peaceful before." this statement pulled his attention from the tv and back to her, "You just… I feel for you. You're always so sad, but right now… it's almost like you're content… and the best part, is you don't even realize it. It's just a natural feeling. Maybe that's just me though."

He smiled a little, "I think there's some truth to that." he agreed. His eyes turned back to the headlines, "You make me happy. You always do."

She was surprised by this. She made him happy? Of all the things in this world? She didn't even do anything special. That's when it occurred to her how strange this scenario might look to someone on the outside. She was in an ordinary apartment, sitting on ordinary furniture, watching television on an average sized tv, with an extraordinary billionaire. Still somehow she made him happy. And he in turn did the same for her.

He pulled back his sleeve to reveal a watch on his wrist. He immediately looked displeased. Standing to his feet slowly, as if gravity was trying to weld him down the chair, he smoothed back his ravenous hair and looked down at Chelsea, "I have a meeting to attend to."

"The one with CEOs?" she wondered.

He leaned down and with great caution kissed her on the temple, "Yes. I have a dry couple of hours ahead of me." He stood up straight and jammed his hands in his pockets, "Do you know when Wally will be back?"

Chelsea shook her head, "No, he just said sometime tonight."

Instead of feeling jealous, there was a bit of relief that flooded his face. He was glad someone would be here with her to check up on her, "Try to get some rest in the meantime. If you need anything… anything at all, you know how to reach me." he squeezed her shoulder and let his hand glide gently across her back, sending chills down her spine. Making his way to the door he paused when he heard the couch creak from her movements.

"I hope you have a good time just the same." She said to him with genuine tenderness.

He felt the unused muscles in his face contort into a smile, "Thank you." he murmured, and disappeared out of the door.

Chelsea laid around for the next few hours falling in and out of consciousness. It was hard to stay asleep with one's nose stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey. She attempted to sit up and sleep, but that only made the phlegm slide down her throat which started to ache and throb every time she swallowed. She seemed to swallow even more than usual. Going through this sort of agonizing experience without any form of distraction made for some long hours.

Eventually she pried herself from the couch and started to run a bath. She decided to treat herself by adding in some liquid bubble bath and lit a couple of eucalyptus candles to open up her head. Once submerged in the sudsy tub, she felt instantly at ease. She could breathe through her nose again somewhat, which after hours of struggling was the best feeling. Her body aches were now in a controlled climate. She could stay in here for hours.

Though after about forty minutes she felt her skin pruning and decided it was time to get out. As she dried herself off with the towel she sneezed. Duty called for a tissue. Scrambling to get one from the living room her towel slipped and hit the floor. She blew her nose and that's when it happened.

The door opened.

"Honey, I'm home!" beamed Wally as he came through the door with a bag in his hand. When he laid eyes on Chelsea however he was awestruck. Her face was a cross between flush and horrified. Quickly she grabbed the towel off the floor and wrapped it around her body as if she was shielding him from something hideous. She darted into her bedroom and leaned against her door. Sliding down to the floor she covered her face with embarrassment.

For the first time in Wally's life it took him a moment to catch up to what had just conspired. The mental image was burning inside his head. Her body was so beautiful. So flawless. This was certainly not how he pictured his first time seeing it would be.

Her bedroom door opened a bit. When she emerged from the room, she had a tank top and pajama pants on. There was an awkward silence suffocating them. She approached Wally carefully. He tensed. Half expecting to be slapped or something of that notion. He held his breath when she opened her mouth to speak, "I'm sorry Wally." She looked down to see the bag he was holding, "You went to the sub place we tried a couple weeks ago. I love that place." She couldn't kiss him, so she hugged him gingerly, "Thank you."

"Don't… mention it…" he replied, watching her walk over to the cabinets to pull down some plates. What could he say to make this better? And why had she apologized? Shouldn't it have been him who needed to do the apologizing?

She paused and turned toward him, "I've got to admit… I was pretty embarrassed…" she approached him again, taking the bag from his grasp and preparing their plates, "but then I got to thinking… it's Wally. It's my best friend. We walk in on each other all of the time and though that's never happened, we trust each other…" she bawled up the bag to toss in the trash, "So really… of all people that could have walked in just now… I'm glad it was you…" she walked over to the trash can, "because you won't tease me for how I look or any imperfections you might have seen." she flashed him a smile, "Though I'm sorry you had to see that."

She felt a force collide with her body. In a single blink, he was there, cradling her in his arms. His chin was rested on her shoulder strap, and then his lips traveled to the base of her neck. Her mouth trembled by this sudden outward expression of affection. His eyes slowly opened as he focused on her skin flexing into goose pimples, "Chelsea… you don't ever have to apologize for something like that. Imperfections? I didn't see a single one…" he pulled away from her. From what she could see of his face, his cheeks were a bright rosy color, "Not that I was looking for them or anything-" he started to sputter, "I mean I-"

She pulled the cowl back from his face. He was nervously sweating. For being such a lady lover he seemed very overwhelmed by what had just conspired, "You're alright. You don't have to explain. I understand." she told him.

He was in fact embarrassed, "I'm sorry…" he apologized, "I shouldn't have come right in like that, but we do it at The Watch Tower all of the time and it never even crossed my mind you… ugh…" he covered his face, "Why am I so bad at this?"

She pulled his hands from his face, "Wally… we're okay. Really. Alright?" She handed him his plate of five sub sandwiches and grabbed for her own, "Come on… let's go sit down and you can tell me about your day."

They sat and talked like they always did. Laughing through gulps of food and trying not to choke from all of the giggling they exchanged. Chelsea had almost forgotten she was sick for a time. It was almost like what started as a very embarrassing situation only brought them closer together. Anyone watching from the sidelines would have noticed that Wally never stopped staring at her with dreamy eyes. It amazed him just how much one person changed his life. Tonight's incident made it more apparent to him: he wanted to be with her. On another level. On a level they had not allowed themselves to experience. The kind of level that allowed him to hold her, to kiss her, and to make her feel beautiful. He wanted that so much.

Author's Notes: From the reviews it seems like the popular vote is Bruce, but I wanted to give Wally a moment of closeness with her since they haven't had one in a while. I want to keep you guys guessing. ;) Thanks for reading! Leave me a review and I'll see ya at the next chapter.


	15. Chapter 15

_What If The Storm Ends..?_

A couple of days had passed since Chelsea had been sick. She went to the doctors and got an antibiotic to the kill the infection that was looming inside her. It took some time, but before she knew it she was feeling better. She would have immediately returned to The Watch Tower if her college schedule hadn't interfered.

She was making her way down a quiet hallway in the visual arts building trying to straighten out in her head what projects were due and when, when she bumped into someone. When their shoulders hit one another she spun around to see the interruption of her thoughts. There stood a boy about her age. She recognized this boy, "Hey Chelsea," he greeted.

It was her high school ex-boyfriend. It had been a while since they had seen each other. Her jaw locked momentarily, "Hey," she didn't want to talk, but even after their history, she wished to keep things pleasant, "how have you been?"

He half shrugged, "You know college life… busy, busy." He watched her move some stray hair away from her face, "What about you?"

She bobbed her head, "About the same. Between college, my friends, and any commissions that come through, I've got a lot on my plate."

He tilted his head as he leisurely pressed his back to a wall of lockers, "Seeing anyone these days?"

She couldn't believe those words came out of his mouth after what he had done to her in the past. She wished she could lie and tell him something to make him instantly cower like, _"I'm dating Bruce Wayne. What's it to ya chum?"_, or_ "Batman is my boyfriend. I upgraded."_, or even, _"My boyfriend can run circles around you."_, but instead she went with the truth, "No, not really."

He inclined his head, "Me either." She could predict his next words. It was just like him. He hadn't changed in the least, "Maybe we should fix both of our problems." He reached out to tuck that stubborn lock behind her ear when she caught his hand and squeezed his wrist firmly.

"Unlike you Will," she started to say, "I've changed. My standards are higher than you will ever be." She cast his hand aside sharply, "If you think I'd actually give you another chance, then you're a bigger fool than I took you for." She turned and started for her classroom, "Have a nice day."

He watched her walk away. A small smile spread across his sinister face, "Oh… I plan to."

It was late afternoon. Her classes had ended. She was starting her long walk off of campus and back to her apartment to put her backpack away before finally returning to The Watch Tower. As soon as her foot touched the pavement that divided campus from the rest of Gotham, she heard shrill screams coming from behind her. Turning back abruptly her eyes widened to see a figure suspended in air with debris of shrubbery and the like spinning around him rapidly.

She was staring back at Will. Her eyebrows creased, "Well," he held up his arms, "what do you think? Are you impressed yet?" he called to her, "I know you go for the freaks so me and my friends made a deal so we could play with you." A couple of other boys emerged. One caught himself on fire and started flying through campus, setting everything ablaze. The other stomped his foot, causing the earth to crack beneath them.

"A deal?" Chelsea questioned.

Will grinned, "Dr. XYZ sends his love."

That triggered something in her. Her mind raced as she hurled herself toward the boy suspended in air. She was stopped just before reaching him. Some sort of invisible force was holding her back. He slowly held out his palm to her and abruptly pushed outward. She was sent flying back and smashed into a brick wall.

Chelsea swallowed as she forced herself to her feet. He was already on top of her using a force punch to spiral her into another building. This was doing immense damage to the college campus.

Back at The Watch Tower a blip came up on J'onn's monitor, "What is it?" Clark asked.

J'onn panned in to find the location, "Gotham University has been set ablaze." J'onn informed the group.

Batman grabbed his ear piece, "Chelsea are you still at school?" He heard her grunt, but nothing was audible. His jaw locked as he started for the landing bay. The others were close behind, "Flash! Where are you?"  
Wally had been in Central City having his third lunch for the day, "I'm already on my way there." He replied, speeding to get to Gotham. He was going as fast as his quick feet could carry him. Whenever he went full speed the memory of that bullet crashing into his knee always came to a head. The memory still stung. He arrived at Gotham University a couple minutes later. He watched as Chelsea came flying out of a broken window and rolled a few times to his feet, "Chels!" He knelt down beside her.

"Wally…" she groaned, as he helped her sit up. Her forehead had a cut from the broken glass. When she stood, the world seemed to be flying. She was so dizzy. Will was powerful. His telekinetic power was incredibly strong.

"So your backup has arrived." Will stated, snapping his fingers. His earthquaking friend came charging toward them, crumbling the ground they stood on. Chelsea put her arms under Wally's armpits to lift him up off of the ground so he wouldn't fall in.

"If he keeps this up it's going to start demolishing the city." Chelsea yelled over the sound of the loud clamor of buildings falling.

She looked up to see air support had arrived. Batman was in his very own plane. His presence distracted Will momentarily, which allowed an opening for Superman to body slam the boy into one of the buildings still semi-standing. Hawkgirl and Green Lantern were going toe to toe with the human bonfire, while Diana and J'onn rallied against the crazy quaker making a mess of the ground. That's when Chelsea saw it. Will paid Superman no mind as he thrashed him about. Instead he focused his energy to try and bring Batman's plane down. He was pulling on in telekinetically. It wasn't long before it started to spiral into one of the college's main buildings, "No!" Chelsea let out a blood curdling scream. Batman ejected himself from the vessel before it collided with the building. As he floated to the ground the earthquake kid opened the ground to swallow him up. In that instant Chelsea flew by and caught Bruce's hand with hers, all the while still grasping onto Wally's waist with her other arm. Chelsea found a piece of ground that had remained untouched and landed.

"Did these guys just show up at your school and start destroying the place for no reason?" wondered Wally.

Chelsea shook her head, "Dr. XYZ created more soldiers. This time a personal one. Their leader. The one that can move things just by the thought of it… he's my ex."

Wally's eyes widened, "Ex? As in ex-boyfriend?" some debris crashed down beside them.

"Have you seen the doctor?" Batman questioned.

"No," Chelsea told him, "I don't think he's here."

It appeared the Justice League started to gain control of the situation. It didn't take long before special forces arrived to take these troublemakers away. Each had a special pair of handcuffs put on them that forbid the use of super powers. Will flashed Chelsea a dirty look before being thrown into the back of a van. Chelsea gave a slight shake of her head and turned her attention back to the devastation that was once her college campus. The place had been destroyed. Like a hurricane, forest fire, and tornado got together and had a child and this was what was left. She outwardly sighed and covered her face. How far would this set back her education? And not just hers, but the rest of the students who went here longing for a brighter future?

"Are you going to be alright?" asked Batman, standing beside her now. She looked up at him with clouded eyes. His heart strung from the inner turmoil inside her, "I'll fix it." he reassured her. She nodded silently. She was crestfallen. Bruce was right before: the storm would soon be upon them. If this was just a taste of the destruction to come, what other things could she expect?

Once they all returned to The Watch Tower, Superman pulled Chelsea aside to get the play by play of the attack on the university. Afterwhich she returned to her room quietly without any interaction. Now she was officially worried about this again. Wally knocked at her door. He was quite skittish to come barging in again after the last time. Chelsea came to the door and opened it, allowing him in.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I guess so," she replied with an outward sigh.

"Don't worry about the college. Bats will get it fixed." he assured.

"I know he will… but it shouldn't be his responsibility to clean up my messes." she rubbed her forehead stressfully.

"So," Wally was about to address something that hadn't left his mind, "that guy was your ex-boyfriend?"

Chelsea rolled her eyes, "Are you still stuck on that?"

He shrugged, trying to play it off like it wasn't a big deal, "I just wondered why you two broke up…" he tried to sound casual about it.

"Why does it matter Wal?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"It doesn't-" he stammered, "I just-"

Chelsea could see he wasn't going to let it go, "He cheated on me," she told him, "with many different girls." she shook her head, "It was high school. When you get to be my age you realize things that happened back then don't really matter or define you now." She rubbed her eyes with her right index finger and thumb, "Girls just want somebody to love them you know? To sweep them off their feet and show them they're important."

Wally stared at her thoughtfully for a moment. His eyes darted to the bed behind her. In one quick motion he grabbed her by her legs and pulled forward so she'd fall back on the bed softly. Leaning over top of her, he looked her over, "I'm not much of a sweeper… but you should know by now how important you are to me."

Her face lit up against the redness of his suit, "Wally.. what're you-?" she wondered, before he silenced her with a kiss. She wasn't sure what surprised her more: the kiss, or the fact that she was welcoming it. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled his body down against hers. Their kiss grew more intense. Her back arched as she pushed her lips more forcibly against his.

That's when her cell phone decided to interrupt the rendezvous. She would have ignored it, had she not recognized the ringtone. She pulled back, realizing it was probably for the better anyway, "I'm sorry… I really have to take that." he peeled himself off of her and sat down beside her. She reached for her phone, trying to gather herself, "Hello… yes this is her… yes…" there was a long pause.

Chelsea's mouth fell open. Her mouth was trying to move, but it wasn't making words. Finally she said, "I'll be right there…" almost inaudibly. Ending the call she turned to Wally momentarily. Looking him over she quickly stood to her feet.

"Where're you going?" he asked with concern.

"There's someone I have to see." she told him. She paused to reflect on their moment before and looked into his eyes once more, "I'm sorry. I'll explain later…" with that she was out the door.

It decided to pour down rain in Gotham City. How fitting for such news. It was so hard for her to fly in this weather. With the rain beating down on her body and her lack of vision it was damn near impossible. The wind whipped throwing her off balance and trying to cast her away from her destination. With some trouble she arrived. She looked like she had been quite literally chewed up and spat out.

She entered the hospital and made it to the familiar desk she had been to so many times before. The clerk recognized her and stood up. The next few moments occurred like a slow motion scene in a film. The nurse started to speak to her, but she could not hear her. Chelsea covered her mouth and started to breakdown. Just from the look on her face, Chelsea knew what she was saying without hearing a word. She made her way to the familiar patient's room and walked up to the bed. All machinery had been stripped from the woman who lay lifeless in the bed. Chelsea's mouth opened and mouthed the word, "Mom…" before sliding down to her knees and pressing her face to the mattress. Her body shook uncontrollably as she wept by her bedside.

Her mother was dead.

After some time of crying she managed to stop long enough to exit the room. She was stopped frozen when she came out into the hallway. There he stood in a crisp black suit, as if he was already mourning. Bruce was looking back at her. She instantly started to cry again the moment their eyes met. Her eyes burned as she clung to him and sobbed. He let her cry. Of all people, he could sympathize for the pain she was feeling. He would hold her. Just hold her until the rain stopped falling. No matter how long that took.

A casket lowered into the ground. Her friends surrounded her cloaked in the mourning shade of darkness. Rain continued to fall that day. It never stopped. They never stopped falling.

She was handed an envelope. It was all that was left.

All eight Justice League members gathered together in the dining hall of The Watch Tower to eat together on behalf of Chelsea's mother. It was a strange atmosphere. Chelsea hated making everyone feel so down. She took a bite out of the burger she was eating. They had stopped and grabbed something on the way back to The Watch Tower. Truthfully the food was quite terrible. Chelsea examined everyone else's expressions and knew they were drawing the same conclusion. Tears came to her eyes as she finally cracked a smile, "This stuff is awful." Everyone looked at her surprised by her sudden act of joy. She just wanted everyone to stop being so tense. They all started smirking at each other.

"Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so…" admitted Clark, sipping on his soda for a good long while to get the taste out of his mouth.

"I don't think it's too bad." Wally said, being the glass half full kind of guy he was.

"Of course not. Your stomach is a bottomless pit." laughed Shayera.

Everyone started to chuckle at each other over the family banter. It felt good. For a moment it was as if it was a casual evening around the table together. Bruce hadn't touched his food. He knew better of it. He sat quietly and debated on getting the place shut down for serving something not even remotely close to being edible. He felt a pair of eyes on him. Wally stared at him closely. This was strange.

Wally stood up while everyone was distracted and moved passed Bruce, "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Bruce raised a suspicious eyebrow and silently excused himself from the table to follow Wally out. Once they were in a quiet corridor adjacent to the dining hall the two men stood across from each other. Bruce stood up straight, his fists clenched at his sides. Wally was slumped back against the wall with his arms crossed, "What is it?" Bruce broke the silence.

"You knew about Chelsea's parents… didn't you?" Wally asked.

Bruce's eyes narrowed, "You didn't?" he retorted.

Wally was glaring at him now, "Of course not…" he murmured.

Bruce was surprised. Of all people he would assume she would have told Wally in one conversation or another. He was her rock after all. At least to his understanding.

"Do you think she trusts you more?" Wally asked painfully.

Bruce analyzed his question. He didn't hold back. His words as they always did, were laced with brutal honesty, "Maybe you're not serious enough."

"Hey," Wally interjected, "I'm plenty serious."

"You wanted my opinion. I gave it to you." Bruce grimaced, "You lack a great sense of maturity Wally."

"Shut up." barked Wally. He rarely lost his temper, but it was almost like Bruce was trying to pick a fight with him.

Bruce grew silent. He recalled the day he heard it from Chelsea. The dark past that loomed over her, "The Joker had set bombs in Gotham. I told her to stay out of it. She didn't as one might expect. Joker laid into Harley Quinn. Something inside her snapped. A part of me still wonders if I hadn't pulled her off of him, if she would have kept punching until he no longer had a heartbeat. It was the bitter hatred she had for her father that took control of her that day, and the immense guilt she felt for her mother that made her tell me the truth. She did not tell Bruce Wayne, Wally… she told Batman. She told me before she knew we were one and the same."

Wally stared at him thoughtfully. What was his point?

Bruce could see he had to spell it out for him. Sighing he grabbed Wally's shoulder, "Maybe you should ask her yourself why she didn't tell you. Give her the benefit of the doubt there was good reason behind it." he let go of his shoulder and started to head back into the dining hall.

Late that same night Chelsea laid in her bed staring at the envelope she had yet to open. She wasn't sure what or how her mother could have written anything to her. Maybe she did it a long time ago. For some reason, she was reluctant to open it.

There was a knock at her door.

"Come in Wally…" she already knew it was him.

He came in and closed the door behind him. Sitting beside her on the edge of the bed she stared at him. He was still dressed in a white button up shirt, black blazer, black pants, and black Converse tennis shoes. His tie was loosened and hanging freely. A couple of his buttons undone at the collar of his shirt. His ginger hair was messy. He looked tired, with a lot on his mind. Chelsea scooted over and patted beside her. He snickered inwardly toward this and laid down beside her. Their faces were close as they observed one another. Their eye color was nearly matching. That unusual green that curled around their pupils seemed to churn around each other. He sighed.

"What's up?" she asked, pressing her forehead to his.

"Do you think I'm immature?" he asked.

Her eyebrows furrowed, "Do I think you're more laid back than everyone else here? Definitely yes."

"Chels," he closed his eyes, like he was afraid to see her reaction, "do you trust me?"

"Wal… where is this coming from?" she wondered.

"Bats already knew about your parents before any of the rest of us did…" his eyes reopened, "Why couldn't you tell me?"

She reached up and ran her fingertips through his soft hair, "Oh Wal… is that what this is about?" she saw the pain in his stare and felt a tinge of guilt wash over her, "You're always so upbeat about everything. So happy and carefree. I love that about you. You put me in such a good mood. We have so much fun together and have so much in common." she squeezed his arm reassuringly, "You're my best friend. You really think I don't trust you? You saw me naked and I barely faltered." His cheeks turned rosy at recalling the scene, "I don't ever…" her voice cracked like she was about to start crying.

A single tear slid out of her eye and down to her pillow before it disappeared into the fabric, "want to be the reason for your sadness." She closed her eyes tightly and tried to smile, "You mean so much to me. If I was ever the reason for bringing you down it could kill me. You're always so happy and that's such a gift. Everyone around here… they don't show it but in some form or another they're broken… but you do so well at keeping it all together… at smiling and being happy and positive… for all of us. I didn't want…" she grasped at his chest, "to be the reason you stopped… not even for an instant."

He was touched. So moved by her words. Watching her start to crumble before him, he pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on top of her head. She shook and cried in his arms, "I made a joking comment to make everyone at ease today… so they would stop worrying about me so damn much… I wouldn't have known how to do that had I not met you." she told him.

He smiled and closed his eyes again. He planted a kiss on her forehead, "You don't have to worry about hurting me Chels…" he wanted to tell her so badly that he loved her, but the timing just wasn't right. It never was. He wasn't sure it ever would be. Maybe that was what fate inevitably had in store for him, "You're the reason I keep smiling."

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. He returned her embrace. After a while of holding each other, he pulled himself away with great hesitation, "You should get some rest. You've had a very hard couple of days…"

She sat up and nodded. As he opened the door, they locked eyes for a moment, before he showed himself out.

Chelsea stared at that letter for another hour before finally bringing herself to open it. She set the envelope down and started to unfold the thin packet of paper. Her heart came to a screeching halt when she saw the words, "Be seeing you…" etched across the page in messy handwriting. Paperclipped to the page was a photograph of Dr. XYZ standing over her mother's bed. A sound escaped her lips that didn't sound human. She had to stifle it with her hands. Flipping through the rest of the pages like a mad woman were documents of Chelsea's medical files, her mother's medical files, her father's court papers, and old love letters she wrote in high school. He had been following her for so long.

Her mother had not died.

She was murdered.

Instinctively she grabbed for her phone, but threw it on the bed and ran like the devil was at her heels. She came up to Wally's door and started pounding on it rhythmically. He jumped out of bed and shouted, "Hold your horses I'm coming!" When he saw it was Chelsea, she flung herself into his arms and shook with unspeakable terror, "Woah, woah! Calm down… what's wrong?" He grabbed her shoulders, "Chels! Breathe. Talk to me." She got really dizzy and suddenly it was lights out.

Author's Notes: Man, things are heating up. For those who prefer her with Bruce, do not fret. I know they haven't really had a moment lately, but that's bound to change. First there's a pesky doctor to take care of. For anyone out there that is really into music like I am I wanted to suggest a few tracks to relate this chapter to. Firstly the title is taken from a song called "What If The Storm Ends?" by Snow Patrol. During the scene between Wally and Chelsea on the bed I was listening to "Inevitable" by Anberlin. Check out those songs should you feel like it and hit me up with a review. I love hearing from you all. Thank you readers. :)


	16. Chapter 16

_What If The Storm Ends...? Part 2_

_"Where am I?"_

_…_

_"It feels so familiar…"_

_…_

_"I can't see anything…"_

It was so bright. Like flashlights had been probed into her eye sockets. It made her head pound with confusion and pain. So disorienting. All at once she could see around her, and what she saw was nothingness. There she stood with no sign of direction. Like she was standing upon a blank canvas. Her stomach swirled and gurgled like she was going to purge from the lack of logic in her surroundings. There wasn't even a ground, so how was she standing? Nothing but bright white was around her.

Bright white…

"Hello," Chelsea heard a voice, "my child…" when she blinked, he stood over her. She tried to get her body to move, but was paralyzed by the sight of him. He flickered a grin at her and started to walk along the nothing ground. He moved with such familiarity, as if accustomed to this strange realm, "Come with me, and you'll be…" he started to sing in a haunting tone, "in a world of pure imagination…" he paused and turned back to her sharply, "Take a look and you'll see… into your imagination." Chelsea swallowed, listening to him bring new meaning to such a classic song. He was certainly no Gene Wilder, "We'll begin… with a spin. Traveling in the world of my creation." He brought his hands together and clapped. Her body started to fall back. She was falling…

Falling…

Into nothingness…

The rest of the Justice League was gathered around Chelsea's body. They had her resting on the meeting table. J'onn was running tests on her. His hands hovered above her body. He wore his usual saddened expression, "I cannot find her. It is as if she is neither in the realm of unconscious or subconscious…"

"What do you mean?" asked Wally with concern.

"Her soul is severely damaged… I can barely feel its presence… it's flickering… much like a candle in a hurricane…" His fingers waved and then all at once straightened. His eyes grew and then squeezed shut as he fought back the urge to cry out. Her pain was being filtered onto his body. A bolt of light sprang from her body and threw the Manhunter back.

"J'onn!" yelled Superman, coming to his aid.

As he sat himself up, he rubbed his head. His hands were charred like they had been severely burned, "He lingers inside her…" he murmured.

Batman knew the instant he saw J'onn's hands what had occurred. The culprit had made himself known. No wonder they couldn't find him. He had made himself a new dimension inside the very girl he wished to destroy. Brilliant… and yet sinister. Destroying her literally from the inside out, nestled in the comfort that he would not be found.

"There is a darkness growing… spreading." The Martian Manhunter informed, forcing himself to stand up and approach the girl once again, "Nothing we do out here will save her. He did what he could to ensure there wouldn't be interference."

Batman was reluctant to ask, but they had to do something, "Can you find them? This dimension he has created? Can it be opened?"

J'onn knew that there was a possibility, but it might come with great cost. The fact that just trying to find her consciousness was enough for her body to repel him made him uneasy, "Chelsea is a dear friend… I will try my best to make a gateway. I cannot promise it will be open for long…" he flashed a look of worry to all of his friends, "and… I cannot be sure we will ever be able to escape once inside."

"I'll go instead." said Bruce.

"What?" asked Diana, "but Bruce… you can't do this alone."

"She's right," agreed Clark, "we all care about Chelsea."

"Be that as it may," Bruce defended, "if there is a chance of never coming back, what's to stop Dr. XYZ from destroying the planet. We take a chance on him capturing us for eternity as we sit and watch the world burn. It's too great a risk."  
"I'll go." announced Wally, "I have to go." he corrected.

"Out of the question." Bruce protested, "This isn't volunteer work. The less we sacrifice now, the greater chance we have in emergency."

"Uh hello!?" barked Wally, "This_ is_ an emergency! Come on Bats! Don't you care about her at all?"

"Why do you think I'm going?" retorted Bruce.

"Who made you the one to say what we can and can't do?" Wally fired back, "She matters to all of us!"

"I have to agree with Wally," Superman said, crossing his arms, "I know that you and Wally have grown especially close to her, but that doesn't deviate from the fact that she's all our friend and teammate. No man left behind. None of us are sitting this one out. If we succeed together, we don't need a plan B…" planting his palms on the table, he reflected on each and every one of his team members, "Let's bring our friend home."

J'onn contemplated for several hours on what the best way would be to probe the girl's brain and allow them entry. He knew the more time cycled by the more dangerous and threatening the situation became for their friend. When he stood up, everyone else did right along with him, "I have decided the safest course of action is to act as the gateway myself. This means I cannot go with you." he informed them. His deep voice left no room for nothing less of seriousness, "Once inside, you must understand that you will be in an environment that can change and reform with just the thought of doing so. You will be in Chelsea's mind. Her fears become your fears. Stay alert." He placed his large green hand over Chelsea's eyes.

"Everyone ready?" asked Superman. Each member gave a nod or sign of approval, "You're on J'onn." He instructed, "Hold down the fort for us until we get back."

J'onn was not looking forward to this transition. It would be mighty painful to allow six other souls pass through his body, "Come back safe friends." He told them. He turned transparent and pushed his hand downward, forcing it into the girl's head. From this sprang a bright light. The light pulled each member in. They were gone just like that. It took great effort for him to free his hand. When he pulled it back there he stood alone with a body that could only be described as nearly a corpse. A corpse that now housed many souls.

"Are we in the right place?" asked Flash looking at their surroundings. They were in a suburban neighborhood.

Batman identified the street signs almost instantly, "This is a neighborhood on the outer limits of Gotham City."

"Or a memory attached to this place." Superman guessed.

"Is this where Chelsea grew up?" wondered Hawkgirl.

"It must be." Green Lantern replied.

"I've got a bad feeling…" Wonder Woman murmured.

"You feel that too?" asked Flash.

"We all do…" corrected Superman.

They turned toward something that felt as if it was fastly approaching. A stream of light shot through the group and landed a blow on Superman hurling him into one of the houses, "Superman!" cried Diana.

"That looked just like…" Wally gasped.

"It was." confirmed Bruce.

When the dust cleared to reveal Superman embedded in a brick wall, above him hovered the familiar figure of long strawberry blonde hair, hour-glass in stature, and glowing eyes. Chelsea stared down at him as if she didn't recognize him, "Chelsea it's me!" he tried to reason. She picked him up in one fluid motion and threw him into another building. She slowly turned to face her other teammates. Her expression was hollow. There was no light left in her lifeless stare.

"Chelsea it's us! We're here to save you!" Wally stepped up, trying to talk her down. She raised her fist out toward him and it started to glow. He was shocked by this display. Chelsea wouldn't attack him would she? She lowered herself to the ground and her hand stopped glowing, "That's right. It's your friends…" he said softly. He approached her with far too much trust. Her hand glowed once more and plunged itself into his gut, knocking the wind out of him and hurling him back. Quick to land on his feet Wally hit the ground, but instantly fell to one knee, "What's going on? I don't get it." he grunted.

"He has a hold on her." Hawkgirl said, "If we don't try to knock some sense into her she'll take turns beating on us."

Batman watched the display closely as Chelsea took turns bullying each of her friends into submission. When it was his turn, instead of waiting for her to attack him, he grabbed her foot with his grappling hook and yanked her out of the sky. She hit the ground hard, but it barely stunned her. Jumping back to her feet he took a swing at her, but she grabbed his hand and flipped him over her back. He caught himself and spun to brace for her next attack. That's when she fired a bolt of light at him that forced him to roll a couple times. His arms shook weakly as he pried himself from the ground. She was already standing over him. As she went to reach for him she was slammed through a picket fence and into someone's back yard. Wally was the one to land such a quick strike. Helping Bruce to his feet, there was a look exchanged between them, before Chelsea reappeared with both of her hands blazing with her tainted light.

Wally stood in front of Bruce, "What're you doing Wally?" barked Bruce.

"If she hurts you… or worse… she'll never forgive herself once this is all over." Wally yelled back, "She… she loves you!" he looked back at the man he had envied for so long. It was hard for him to say those words aloud, but he knew them to be true.

Bruce's jaw locked as he saw her light growing. She was about to unleash a devastating blow, "You love her…" Bruce said back, "Don't be so damn selfish!" Bruce growled, "If something happened to you she'd never be the same."

"Maybe that needs to happen… to get her back!" Wally told him, "Great things come from great sacrifice right?" he raised his eyebrow and forced a giant goofy smile, "Do me a favor will ya…?" he turned toward the girl and took a step, "Take care of her for me…" he told him almost inaudibly as he ran straight into the brunt of Chelsea's beam.

"Don't-!" cried Bruce. He was instantly blinded by the light and forced back with its might.

When he could finally see again he had landed inside a house, knocking down part of a wall. He guessed he had been knocked unconscious for a while. His body ached. It took him a minute to realize what had happened. Wally! What did that idiot do!? He stood to his feet and started to walk out of the house when a picture sitting on a coffee table caught his eye. He looked about the room. There were furniture and pictures everywhere. He had noticed before that all the houses were empty like they were ready to be sold. Why was this house different? That's when he got a better look at the image held inside the frame he was fixated on. That face… it was of a child, but much older it might…

"Batman?" asked a small voice.

Bruce slowly turned toward the sound. The same child in the photo was staring up at him, half concealed behind a wall, like she was frightened. Her big green eyes melted his heart. Lowering himself to the ground he held his hand out to her. She gasped, a bit taken off guard, but the curious heart of the child beating in her chest would not allow her to run, "It's alright…" he assured, his voice soft like that of Bruce Wayne.

She made herself completely visible as she separated herself from the wall. Cautiously she took a couple steps forward and looked up into his eyes, "Are you here to save me from the bad man?"

"Bad man?" he wondered. She must have been talking about Dr. XYZ, "The man with the lab coat?"

"No… my daddy…" she told him, "he turns into a monster sometimes and scares me…"

Bruce's heart fell. He softly pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest, "Chelsea… do you know where you are? Do you know who I am?"

Her eyes widened, "Bruce..?" she asked.

He felt himself smile, "So…" he looked down at her once more, "this is where you've been all along."

The rest of the league had escaped the enraged blonde's clutches momentarily. They were patrolling the area, trying to find their lost members. Flash was last seen disappearing into a wave of light. Batman was still missing as well. They called out to their friends, fearing that the enemy would soon be closing in on their location.

"Where could they be?" asked Diana to the rest.

"I'm really worried about Flash. What if he's-" Hawkgirl winced.

"-He's fine." Superman assured, though he was quite unsure himself.

"What's the plan?" wondered Green Lantern.

As the four stood together contemplating their next move, a blinding light appeared before them. Chelsea was back. She hovered above them, ready to strike once more. As they stood together, striking defensive stances, a voice shouted, "Wait!" Everyone, including the mind-warped girl above them, turned their attention to the voice. Batman approached them slowly and stopped a couple feet away, "I found something." he told them vaguely. From behind his cape appeared the little girl. She looked up to her friends and then the much older image of herself floating in the sky.

Her face churned into a look of rage as she started to approach the look-alike. As she walked, her body started to change, "I will say this only once," she warned. She was starting to age, "get out of my head…" her eyes glowed a radiant light while her voice returned to normal, as did the rest of herself. The young woman was now the age her friends were accustomed to. For the first time ever, she wore a costume. It was white with a red star falling vertically down the front. She had long sleeves and boy shorts as bottoms, but the costume was in one piece. She stood between her friends and the doppelganger overhead. Her eyes never moved from her evil reflection, "Where's J'onn and Wally?" she asked into the open air.

"J'onn's back home." Superman replied, "And Flash… he's missing… we can't find him."

Chelsea's eyes stopped glowing.

"I killed him too." said the doppelganger, its voice morphing into two: Chelsea's and Dr. XYZ's, "technically, we killed him." Her arms opened.

Chelsea gritted her teeth, "No!" She barked, "I would never do that! You're lying! Where is he?! Where did you take him!"

"I sent him to a different dimension." explained the doctor, looking over his fingernails, "With a snap of my fingers… I can destroy it." he prepared to snap.

Chelsea tried to move in to smash into him, when she felt a pulse of realization surge through her body.

"What's the matter child?" he asked, "Are you just now realizing your powers have been stripped from you?" laughter erupted from his throat, "When I became one with your mind… I took them for myself in this dimension. You're defenseless." He held out his hand as it glowed black and shot at her. The blast sent her spiraling back, rolling her across the pavement. XYZ didn't hesitate. Crashing down on top of her, he grabbed her by the throat and held her off of the ground, "What will you do now?"

Chelsea hacked and choked. A batarang hit her double's hand, causing him to release her. She attempted to kick him away, but he grabbed her leg and threw her back. She hit the ground hard. As she was slow to get up, Batman rushed to her side to help her to her feet. XYZ tried to close the gap once more, so Chelsea stepped in front of Bruce. It clicked in Chelsea's head. She caught XYZ's hand as he tried to land another strike, "When you entered my head you became one with my body. If you took my powers, I should be able to take them back!" she squeezed his wrist, using her willpower to try to draw the energy back to her body. It surged through her arm as her eyes started to glow once more, "This one's for my mom…" she punched the man and sent him flying back.

Chelsea was now returning fire, hitting him with bolts of light, "And this," She exclaimed, rearing her fist back, "is going to be your end if you do not return Wally to me right now!" Her fist phased through the doppelganger's head. More power flowed into her body. As his body was shot backward, a light portal opened, forcing Flash outward and crashing into Chelsea. She was lying on the ground with him on top of her.

"Chels!" he beamed. Looking her up and down, "You finally made a uniform."

She chuckled at him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "Thank god…" she sighed, tears rushing to her eyes, _"Not him too."_ she thought.

Dr. XYZ's Chelsea form started to disjoint and dissolve. As he stood up, he transitioned from her, to the form they were familiar with, to something else. Something Chelsea would recognize. Something that hit incredibly close to home.

When Chelsea stood up and saw what stood before them, her shoulders lowered in disbelief. She was choking on words that were failing her.

Images of the past started to pass through her head:

_"I should have saved my mom…" she quietly sobbed to herself, "but I let her down. She was all alone…"_

_"Sometimes, the biggest demons are the ones who walk among us every day. We don't see it… because they matter to us."_

_"You're home, big sister."_

_"We've been waiting such a long time for your return. Father has big plans for us. Starting with your friends, The Justice League… you will lead us to victory."_

_"Ah, my first child."_

_"He's going to come back. It will probably be far worse than it was before…"_

_Will grinned, "Dr. XYZ sends his love."_

_Flipping through the rest of the pages like a mad woman were documents of Chelsea's medical files, her mother's medical files, her father's court papers, and old love letters she wrote in high school. He had been following her for so long._

_Her mother had not died._

_She was murdered._

_"No… my daddy…" she told him, "he turns into a monster sometimes and scares me…"_

The new figure before her tilted his head and smiled, "What's the matter? Got nothing to say to your dear old dad?" he questioned.

Author's Notes: So I'm sorry I'm updating a little later than usual. I wanted to give you guys something to read. I had originally planned for this chapter to extend past the discovery at the end, but decided this was a good stopping point. I've been busy, busy with college work. Thanks for your patience. Leave me some feedback and I'll see ya guys at the next chapter.


	17. Chapter 17

_Any Better Than This_

The new figure before her tilted his head and smiled, "What's the matter? Got nothing to say to your dear old dad?" he questioned.

Chelsea's gaping mouth was vibrating with confusion. She took a step forward, "Dad?" she asked.

"What?" Wally asked with disbelief.

"I don't understand… there's just no way." Chelsea murmured, "This makes no sense! Dr. XYZ was the one that mutated my DNA! He's the reason I'm like this now!"

"It was all me," he said proudly, "those superheroes you grew up worshipping… they all had secret identities right?" he started to walk around on the street, examining the artificial grass and the mailboxes, "I had a secret life as well… And I grew so resentful…" he shot her a cold stare, "You didn't know it, but your dad was doing all the things us Gotham crooks do… until I got caught by the Batman." His eyes turned to Batman, "And here I had a daughter at home who worshipped the very man I despised. And after your incident with the pulmonary embolism I thought… I'll make her daddy's little girl again… she'll wipe out the Batman for me."

In the blink of an eye he was standing over her with his hand clenched around her face, "But no! Instead of following in your father's footsteps you decided to be a hero instead! The night your mother figured out what I had been up to I tried to stage an accident to make her disappear, and just as I was about to you decided to make a surprise visit home from college that night!" Chelsea's eyes watered with malice.

"Then you were the one who- How could you…?" Chelsea whined, her lip quivering, "She was my mother!" her eyes glowed as she threw a fist at her father.

He caught her shaking hand with ease, "Please," he told her, and hurled her back with telekinetic force, slamming her into a nearby house. He lifted his hands before her friends could strike back, propelling them against the houses on either side of her, "I am all powerful here." his eyes glowed red, filled with wrath that was absent in his daughter's eyes with their bright white light of truth. He approached them, hovering midair, "You will be the reason the Justice League fails! Darkness will reign supreme across the world as evil purifies the Earth to its natural state… burning."

Chelsea eyes were still glowing white. Her mind was racing. It was as if she was trying to find the solution to a very complex equation. There had to be a way to stop all of this. This was her mind. If it were possible, perhaps they were now connected in many ways. She came to a shocking realization, "Monster," she said, not even allowing the word dad escape her lips ever again. This man was not her father. As far as she was concerned, her father was dead as well, and had been for some time, "I will not allow you to do that." She separated herself from his hold all of her own willpower, "You will do no harm to my friends or any of the innocent people on Earth! I won't allow it!" beams of light shot from her eyes enveloping her father's face in blinding light. He clutched his face in his hands, unable to see. She had a theory and was ready to test it. Lifting her hand, she pictured throwing him into a building. His body lifted and was tossed into a glass window into a house nearby.

"How did you do that?" wondered Wally.

She turned around to watch them land on the ground. Her father's grasp on them had been severed when his concentration had been snapped. She had a sorrowful expression as she gave a glance to each and every one of them. Her eyes stopped on Bruce, "When he entered this place, he tapped into my inner most capabilities that even I was not aware of, and took them for himself. Because of the link he created, whatever happens to one of us, also afflicts the other." She held out her hand to them, palm down, "If I'm right… then the only way this storm will ever end…" tears drew lines down her cheeks as her fingers parted, "than I must… make a great sacrifice…" She forced a smile, "Bruce… remember when I told you that fate puts us right where we're meant to be…? I still believe that… and you once told me that a person can find their own purpose… well I think I've found mine…"

Her friends were pushed back against the wall. They were paralyzed, unable to move. It was not her father's doing this time, but her own, "If I destroy him… there's a good chance I will be destroyed too… but that's my decision to make… and I accept it… to get you all home." she sniffled, trying to keep her smile, but the tears never stopped flowing. Clouds started closing in above them. It started to rain, "I'll put an end to this storm… for the only family I've got."

"No!" Wally cried.

"This is crazy! It won't solve anything!" Bruce barked.

"I've learned so much from all of you…" Chelsea shook her head with her voice trembling, "Thank you… thank you so much."

"Chelsea!" Diana screamed.

"This is just what he wants!" Clark tried to reason.

"And tell J'onn the same for me…" Chelsea instructed turning her back on them and making her way toward the villain she had ran from for so long. He appeared out of the building, but she grabbed him with her newfound telekinesis and whirled him into Gotham River just off the coast. Taking a deep breath she concentrated all of her power into her body. It started to glow. Light started to wrap around her like a skin tight suit of armor. When it reached her long hair, it crashed down, seeming to extend its length. She looked like a bright star, shining in the daytime, during a wild, violent storm. When her father came shooting out of the water, she took off at lightning speeds, giving the impression of a shooting star. They collided; good versus evil, light versus the darkness, daughter against father. All at once the darkness and clouds disappeared, revealing the sunlight. It was warmer and richer than anything the others had felt before.

They suddenly weren't being held against their will. Chelsea appeared over them, her body still glimmering with luminosity. She smiled down at them, "Thank you…" she told them. Her body started to fray and shatter into pieces tiny enough to thread through the eye of a needle. She was carried by the wind, raining down on them. The world around them blinded them with light and all at once they stood in The Watch Tower once more.

J'onn stood up when his friends reappeared, "What happened? How did you all return?" he noticed Chelsea's body did not stir, "Where is she?"

They all looked defeated. They weren't able to even make eye contact with J'onn. Without a word, Bruce turned away from the rest and started his long walk toward the landing bay.

"_You've got to wake up…"_

"_Who is this…?"_

"_You know who it is… I know we haven't spoken in some time… but don't tell me you've forgotten my voice…"_

"_...Mom?"_

_There was laughter, "I wish I could have seen you when I woke up… I'm so sorry… so sorry… but he got to me before I had the chance to tell you of the monster he had become…"_

"_No…" she said, "It's my fault… I couldn't save you."_

"_Always so quick to blame yourself for things that were never in your hands. My dear sweet Chelsea… you need to wake up now."_

"_I thought I was dead…"_

"_You're not done… you've got too many people who love you… they're your family, right?"_

"_Where am I then?"_

"_The place between life and death… the place before the point of no return… but you must go back to them now…"_

"_But what about you?"_

"_Someday sweetheart… we'll see each other again someday… until then… please… be happy. Just… be happy…" her mother's voice started to fade into the distance._

A shock spread through her body as she sprang to life. She choked and breathed like she had been suffocating. She was back in The Watch Tower. Everyone was here.

Bruce looked back and stared at her wide eyed. Quickly he made his way back to her, gathering around her with the others.

She looked at them with hopeful smiles, "You're all okay." she said relieved with a hoarse voice.

Wally was afraid to touch her in fear he might watch her shatter again. His hand gingerly grazed her shoulder. When he was sure she was staying solid, he pulled her into a tight embrace and started to cry, "It's really you. You're alive." He was shaking. He pulled away a bit and gave her a glare, "What were you thinking?!"

"Says the boy who nearly got himself killed!" she retorted, poking her index finger at his chest.

They heard the landing bay door close. Batman was gone. Chelsea looked at the rest of them confused, "Where's he going?" no one answered.

She followed after him, the doors opening and closing behind her. Running down the steps she found him looking out at the landing bay on a balcony. He was leaning over the railing with his head down, "Bruce…?" she asked. She watched a tear escape his cowl, "Are you alright?" she asked.

It took him a moment to turn toward her. He looked so pained. He slowly approached her. She stiffened, ready to receive a tongue lashing for her reckless behavior. That she was a child for being so quick to toss her life away for all of them. He was standing over her. His broad, impressive frame casted a shadow over her small body. He reached out his hand and used it to prop her chin up to look him in the eyes. Her eyebrows raised slightly, unsure of what his stare meant. Leaning in, his lips found hers. It was a soft exchange. Wrapping his arm around her waist he pulled her in closer and deepened the kiss. When he pulled back, she swallowed, "Bruce…?"

His eyes narrowed. He exhaled deeply from his nose and pulled her in tightly, "I love you." He told her. Her eyes shined, "I've always loved you…" he admitted, "I wanted to tell you for so long… and when you evaporated in air right in front of me I realized I would never get to tell you… that all this time I feared those very words… and that it was too late…" she placed her hand on his shoulder blade, "but I do…" he said softly, "and when you decide what you want… no matter what that is… know that, that won't change… no matter what."

She pulled back to look him in the eyes. What could she say to this? It was so sudden. She had longed to hear these words from him, and yet, now more than ever, she was terrified. Offering him a smile she laced her fingers with his, "I want to make sure everyone's alright… come with me?" she asked. She felt the time frame was closing in on her.

Before too long, she would a feel a brush against her leg, sweeping up into her body and onto her face. A gentle breeze; a wind of change. Things were about to change. She stood at a fork in the path. All eyes were on her to make a decision on where in life she'd like to go next. It was the most frightful she had ever felt. Bruce told her he loved her. She never expected him to be the one to say it first. It just wasn't like him. And it caught her so off guard. And while it was such a warm welcoming confession, it only seemed to lead to more spiraling in her heart and mind.

When the doors opened, the rest of the group looked to them with hopeful stares. The monitors behind J'onn started to flash red. Chelsea took a deep breath and smiled, "Let's get to work." she told them.

_A week passed…_

It was decided a banquet dance would be held at The Watch Tower just for the Justice League members to gather together and be thankful for the team. If an issue were to arise they were ready for combat, but Superman stressed that the meeting was mandatory so those like Bruce who loathed such occasions couldn't skip out.

Chelsea was dressed in a crimson halter cut dress with make up to accentuate her beaming green eyes and rounded lips. Her hair was done up in a fancy fashion with a few stray curls dangling down from the curled up masterpiece on the back of her head. She wore heels to match the dress. When she walked they made a click-clack sound. As she entered the large hall that was usually vacant in The Watch Tower some of the members were already inside. There were some small round tables to the side for sitting, a long table that had many different kinds of foods sprawled across it, a large open space to dance, and a stage with a microphone.

"You look lovely," complimented Clark, as she approached the small group that included himself, J'onn, and John Stewart. They were all dressed sharp. Even the Martian Manhunter had used his shape shifting to put on some nice clothes.

"The suits are a nice touch," she winked at them. John Stewart fiddled with his cuff button on his suit. Chelsea took note of this and helped him clasp it together, "Someone a little nervous to impress Shayera?" she teased.

John shook his head at her and rolled his eyes, "You look to be trying to please someone yourself."

Maybe she was. The question was: who? She let a deep breath escape her nose. Noticing Shayera and Diana coming in the room now, she shot a smirk at John and walked away. She got up on the stage to take a look around. That's when she heard the clanging of a spoon to a glass. It was Clark teasing her. Everyone was smiling at her, "Aw come on you guys. Wal and Bruce aren't even here."

"We want to hear a speech!" called Shayera with a tease.

"You guys are unbelievable…" Chelsea murmured into the microphone. They all started to chuckle amongst themselves. Chelsea paused to think about what she might want to say, "These last few weeks have been really hard on me…" she admitted into the microphone. Everyone was surprised she decided to speak her mind after all, "I feel bad saying this without two of our members not currently being present but… I would hope by now they already know these words…" she looked to her friends, "I have only ever had my parents my whole life… and it feels like in an eye blink they're gone… but what I have here is like nothing I've ever had before… friendship, unity, reliability, and a bond that most people probably don't get the opportunity to have in their lifetime." she looked at each one of them, "You guys mean so much to me. Never doubt how much of an impact you have made on my life and how much I love you all." She held back tears, as not to make a mess of her make-up, "If I had a glass…" she revealed her empty hands to make a joke, "I'd raise it to all that stand here in this room… and two others… to family. You're my family and I am so thankful for that." When Chelsea looked up they were all holding wine glasses. Wally and Bruce had quietly stepped in to hear her speech and silently joined the others.

"To family," Clark nodded.

Chelsea smiled at them as they all toasted together in a circle. She stepped off the stage and made her way to the sound system to start the music. It started with the soft tone of strings. When she entered the group she glanced over at Shayera and John, "John! You need to take your lady out on the dance floor." She winked.

John gave her a cold look. Shayera grabbed his arm, "At least she had the nerve to say so." She jabbed, taking him out on the dance floor.

"_Find me here… and speak to me… I want to feel you… I need to hear you…" the singer on the track sang lowly. It was the start of a song called Everything by Lifehouse._

Chelsea smiled watching the two of them together. She sighed, trying to keep the smile on her face as she swayed back and forth to the music.

"_You are the light, that's leading me, to the place, where I find peace… again." continued the song._

"Want to dance?" asked a familiar voice, "You're already halfway there anyhow."

Her smile turned genuine, as she looked to Wally, "I'd love to."

He led her out to the dancefloor. She put her arms around his shoulders and he put his around her hips. They swayed back and forth, Wally doing his best to stay in time with the slow beat.

"_You are the strength that keeps me walking. You are the hope that keeps me trusting. You are the light, into my soul… you are my purpose… you're everything." the lyrics spun around the room, creating a mood in the dimly lit setting._

"Bruce told me about what you did." she said to him, resting her head against his shoulder and snuggling in closer.

His arms folded across her back as they swayed in one place, "Well… I wanted to get you back."

"You shouldn't have done it… you might not be standing here with me now had I not been able to pull you back." she said softly, still pained at the idea of his sacrifice.

"_How can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be, any better than this?" wondered the singer on the sound system. _

"I don't think you have any room to lecture me on death defying stunts, do you?" he questioned, brushing a curl behind her ear, before putting his arm back around her.

"I love you Wally," she told him. His heart skipped a beat, "How could you say that to Bruce? That I love him… do you honestly think there's no love in my heart for you?"

So that's what she meant. He swallowed and chuckled at her, "I know you do." he admitted, pressing his nose to her hair. Her smell intoxicated him. She was the only one that made him so weak at the knees, "I love you too… that's why I did it." he admitted so matter of factly in hopes that it wouldn't set her off to what he was really getting at. Wally lifted his head and smirked. Guiding out Chelsea's body he spun her once and then spun her outward, steadily letting go of her hand. It was possibly the hardest thing he had done up until this point, as she was whirled right into Bruce's arms.

"Mind if I cut in?" he asked in his deep voice.

Chelsea's face glowed with red. She bit her lip.

"What?" he wondered.

"I don't understand how it's possible for you to look me in the eyes and me lose all things that seemingly come natural," she told him, placing her hands on his shoulders, "you know… standing… speaking… breathing." she joked.

"_You calm the storms… and you give me rest. You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall. You steal my heart… and you take my breath away. Would you take me in? Take me deeper now…" the song continued._

He pulled her in closer, placing one hand on her hip and using the other to gather her hand in his. He was a much more sophisticated dancer. He looked her over, "Well," he said, spinning her so her back was to his front, he nestled her in his arms, "if you fall, I'll catch you. If you lose your voice, I'll find it. And if you forget how to breathe…" he placed his nose to the back of her ear and let his breath tease her neck with goose bumps, "I'll remind you." he told her.

"_And how can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?" continued the song._

"Hey everybody! Look at this new feature!" announced Clark, as he pushed a button and one of the walls opened, exposing a view of Earth and the stars. It looked as if a meteor shower was occurring just outside the window.

"'_Cause you're all I want. You're all I need. You're everything. Everything. You're all I want. You're all I need. Everything. Everything." explained the song as everyone paused, moved by the view. _

Wally approached Chelsea opposite of Bruce. She took her eyes off of the view to take a look at each of their faces. They were amazed by the view. Something they see every day and yet somehow, in this setting, it was like seeing it for its true beauty for the first time. Chelsea grabbed each of their hands as they stood there in silence. As the song was drawing to a close and the music had nearly subsided, she mouthed the last phase along with the singer, "Would you tell me, how could it be… any better than this?"

Author's Notes: This seems like the final chapter, but it's not. Though we are drawing to a close on it, I was wondering if any of my faithful readers would read a sequel to this story that follows the storyline of Justice League Unlimited. Any takers? Thanks again for reading. Leave me some reviews. :)


	18. Chapter 18: Bruce Wayne

For Once in My Life

Bruce Wayne

(Bruce's Ending)

Chelsea laid on the couch, listening to the nothingness of silence that filled her apartment. What would she do today? Paint, sketch? Perhaps strip a wall and just start throwing paint across it. Her mind was so full. Her shoulders so heavy with grief. Her body so broken down by stress. Her eyes wandered to the window.

Sitting down on her window seat and snuggling a cushion she watched the busy streets of Gotham below. She lived in a cleaner part of the city, because she was near the college campus, but that didn't make it squeaky clean. It simply meant when one walked into their home there weren't traces of some foreign black substance on the bottoms of their feet. Gotham tended to leave a stain on everyone.

As she drifted off into day dreaming, there was a rapping on her door. Chelsea pried herself from the window seat and looked through the peep hole. Opening the door, she stared back at the blue eyes of Bruce Wayne. He always managed to leave her without words, except for three. Three little ones with big meaning came to mind. He was the black stain Gotham left on her, except she never wished to wash him out, "Hey," she greeted.

A small smirk appeared on his lips, as he stepped into the apartment, "Are you busy today?" he asked.

Chelsea was caught off guard by him just walking in, but then that thought made her smile. He was comfortable enough to just come right in. Under any other circumstance he wouldn't be, with anyone else, "Aside from the staring at the chipped paint on the walls, or people watching from my window, I've got nothing planned."

"Would you be willing to do me a favor?" he asked, leaning against the back of the couch.

Every time he moved it was like staring at a beautiful photograph. It didn't matter the backdrop, because his flawless features pulled you in. From his piercing deep blue eyes, down to his crisp suit, "For you? Anything." she grinned.

"I have a very important business proposition later today. I was hoping you could help me pick out the right outfit for the occasion." He told her.

She laughed lightly through her nose, "Why me? As a business man, shouldn't you know how you want to look? Don't tell me Alfred picks out your-" she watched his face flush for the first time. It made her heart melt. He was so cute without even trying, "You poor thing." she giggled.

"Look, I know business," he nodded and came toward her, "but I'm still a man. We're pretty clueless with that sort of thing." he admitted. Bruce knew he could just have Alfred pick out something for him, but that wasn't the point. In all reality, he just wanted to spend some one on one time with her. It had been some time, and he missed her. Since their moment in the pool, he felt himself yearn for her touch more and more each day.

"Well, I'll try my best to help you, but I'm not exactly a fashionista…" she told him, "but I have dressed men before. I used to work at a clothing store on the more high class side of the spectrum before I got really busy with college. It wasn't my favorite job, but I learned a few things." Chelsea explained.

"I know you did." he said, flashing her a grin.

She shook her head at him, "Is there anything you don't know about me?" she said dryly.

"I'll let you know." he said, taking her jacket from the coat rack and putting it on her shoulders so she could get her arms through the sleeves.

When they arrived at the most high class mall in Gotham, Chelsea stared up at the giant main entrance and gave Bruce a raise of her eyebrow, "Yours?" she asked, gesturing at the building.

He couldn't help, but laugh. She always somehow got him to do that so effortlessly, "Well, actually…"

She shook her head in disbelief, "Unbelievable."

"You didn't let me finish," he said to her, "I own the land it sits on. The building itself isn't mine." he put his arm around her and started to go inside. She smiled at him hopeful, "Riddle me this," she wanted to say Batman, but bit her tongue, "where does the one and only Mister Wayne buy his attire?"

His smirk resurfaced as he raised his eyebrow, "And here I thought I broke you of that habit."

"Now I just do it to get under your skin," she said, pinching his arm, as she started to scurry off to the nearest men's clothing store.

He watched her move, and walked behind her, _"Under my skin? I'm pretty sure you've already successfully been doing that for several months now."_ He thought to himself.

As they browsed the men's professional attire, Chelsea already had some idea of what she thought might look well on him, but then again it was Bruce Wayne. It didn't matter what he wore, because he made everything look good, and no one would have the gall to say otherwise, "Instead of a suit, why not do a button up shirt, and dress pants, with a matching vest and tie?"

"Whatever you think is best." he shrugged.

"It's my personal favorite look on men." she said to him.

"I suppose I can't go wrong then." he insisted, taking each article of clothing from her as she picked something out. Once she was finished he stepped into a dressing room. Chelsea sat on a bench nearby the changing rooms where one would normally try on shoes. She watched men pass by dressed classy as they cluelessly inspected clothing. She sympathized for them. She now understood why Bruce brought her along. After some time passed, he stepped out in a white button up shirt, gray dress pants with the slightest hint of blue, with a matching vest. His tie color was a royal blue with black accents. His shiny polished black shoes were presented on his feet. He pulled at the tie some, "Well?" he asked.

She almost fell off of the stool. Slowly standing up she covered her mouth, "You look fantastic. Very handsome." she confirmed, her voice trembling with sudden anxiety. He was so flawless. Why did he waste his time with her? There was no way in the world he couldn't spend his time with a more beautiful woman. Why did he chose her of all people? As she approached him, she noticed his tie wasn't hanging correctly, "Here's your problem. Your tie isn't tied correctly." She started to undo the mess of a knot.

"I apologize," he said, "Alfred usually does the tie. I tend to lose my patience with them…" He watched her in the mirror as she corrected his mess. She always made everything better.

Chelsea looked at the mirror, "See?" she straightened his tie, "Feel better?"

His stare was piercing into hers, "Much." he replied simply, reaching for her hand and subconsciously pulling her closer to him. Her body suddenly went numb.

She swallowed hard, "I think you'll knock 'em dead." she joked, "When is your meeting?"

He took a glance at his wrist watch, "Very soon," he confirmed.

"If you don't have time to drop me off before you go, I can always fly back. No biggie, you know?" she asked.

He gathered up the pieces of his suit he was previously wearing, "Nonsense. I always have time for you."

As they started a long drive back, Chelsea noticed Alfred kept looking back at them in his rearview mirror with a slight smile on his face. Bruce was unusually quiet, even for him. It was almost like something was up and she was the only one not in on the secret. Chelsea decided to break the silence, "Bless you, Alfred." she said.

"I didn't sneeze my dear," he said to her, caught off guard by the girl's comment.

"No, for taking care of Bruce. It seems to me he'd be very lost without you." She grinned as Bruce gave a slight eye roll and revealed his perfect teeth in a smile.

"Oh well," Alfred smiled, "I appreciate the recognition, but I assure you, I already knew that."

"The two of you working together… I'm not sure I like that." Bruce mumbled.

"I figured you had to have done his tie. It looked too nice for Master Bruce to have done it on his own. Honestly, the man can create a batarang, but tie a tie! Heavens no!" Alfred joked.

"You're taking too much enjoyment out of this Alfred." Bruce said, glancing at Chelsea who was giggling, "Don't think you're innocent. You're just fueling the fire."

"I know," she smiled extra wide with sarcasm.

They stopped at a building close by, "Ah we're here." Bruce breathed, relieved the _poking fun at Bruce Wayne _moment would come to stand still for a while.

Chelsea noticed they weren't at her apartment building, "Alfred can take me home Bruce. You go on ahead."

Bruce flashed a look at Alfred and let himself out of the vehicle. He then held his hand out to her, "There's one last thing I need your input on, if you don't mind."

He never mentioned this. Chelsea took his hand and scooted out of the car. He closed the door behind her and gently hit the top of the car, motioning for Alfred to go park somewhere. As Alfred drove off, Bruce led the way into the three story building. Inside there was a very vacant lobby. A stairway to the left and an elevator to the right. Bruce took the stairs to underhandedly get back at her for the teasing he took previously in the car. Chelsea caught on about halfway up, "You don't take being teased very well do you?"

"Where would you get that idea?" he asked sarcastically, winking at her from over his shoulder.

"Bruce, what is this?" she asked finally.

"It's a building I'm going to be turning into Wayne Designs. I wanted you to take a look around and tell me if you think it's good for that sort of thing, since you're an artist and all." Bruce pushed open the door that lead to the top floor. It was just one giant open room, with studio lights lining the walls. Hooks with paint hanging from them across an entire section of a wall. Canvases from big to small in one corner. Many tables lined up in aisles for different work stations. A part was sectioned off with computers to do graphic design work, and so much more. Everything an artist would need to create a business.

Chelsea stared in awe, "Oh definitely. This place is gorgeous." she confirmed, as he closed the door behind them. Bruce wandered over to one of the nearby stools. Without realizing it, Chelsea started to walk the room to examine it further. There were large 8 feet windows that lined one wall, allowing light to shine in. Bruce watched her move. When she came back around to him, she nodded, "It's great, but… aren't you going to be late for your meeting?"

He smiled at her, "I'm just waiting for her to take a seat…"

Chelsea looked at him confused, "What?"

He chuckled at her, as he gestured for her to take a seat, "I want to hire you. I want you to manage Wayne Design. You can hire your own group of associates, set your own hours so you don't have to worry about missing school. This whole building. It's all yours to do whatever you please with."

Chelsea's mouth hung open as she stared at him in disbelief, "Come on now Bruce… Practical jokes are one thing, but this is just cruel."

His expression grew serious, "I'm completely serious Chelsea."

Chelsea stared at him with her eyebrows scrunched, "But what about the Justice League? Trying to balance college, this business, and fighting crime… I mean that's a lot to try to do at once…"

Bruce frowned, "...You should quit the Justice League..."

Chelsea jumped up from her chair, offended, "Wait! Are you just offering me this so you don't have to worry about me anymore?"

"Calm down," he said, standing up, "I'm simply making a suggestion. You once told me you valued my opinion more than anyone else's. I'm giving it to you. You're still young. You're not so tied down to that life that you couldn't get out. You can still have a normal life Chelsea. Pursuing a better life doing something you truly enjoy and that you're incredible at."

Chelsea looked a way she never thought possible at Bruce: angry. She couldn't think straight she was so frustrated, "No!" she finally barked, "This isn't about me! You know what this is about Bruce? This is about you. This is about you worrying about me. I'm a distraction aren't I? You won't ever admit it, but we both know it's true. You love me. And you hate it. You hate that someone finally saw passed the mask. If I'm not there you can focus on being Batman again and not have to worry about some doctor capturing me or Joker slitting my throat."

Her eyes were glowing with rage, "No!" she repeated, "This is you being selfish. You thought you could manipulate me by giving me something I've always dreamed of having." She gestured to the studio around her, "but it's all for you…" she started to walk to the door when he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Chelsea…" he sighed, and his face grew cold, "Stop being a child."

Chelsea pulled her hand away, "Why? You've been doing it for nearly 30 plus years. That's what this is about Bruce. You're still that child in that alley way." She took a step toward him and looked him in the eyes, "You're finally regretting it. For the first time you regret ever becoming the Batman. Because now you can't turn your back on it. You can't have a normal life, because those people out there depend on you."

"The truth is Bruce, I've loved you for so long. I love you so much it makes me sick. I love you, and I have since I was a little girl. As a girl who wanted nothing, but Batman to show up at her window one night while her parents fussed and fought over the same damn things. You were the only one who kept me going. When I couldn't afford college, a miracle appeared as if out of no where when someone as special as Bruce Wayne handed me a check himself. This whole time, that man was one and the same. And when I found out, I was so angry with you. I know you have this invisible wall you put up with everyone, but after everything we did together you didn't have the decency to tell me. You never had any intention to. You're scared Bruce, because I'm the realest thing you've ever faced. The villains you face are those a child could only fathom in nightmares, but the reality is… You love me too. And you've never been more scared in your life."

Chelsea started toward the door once again, "And for the record… I would never change that. I'm fully aware you could die out there some night and I wouldn't know, but I would never tell you to stop doing it, because I have faith in Batman. Even in finding out they're the same person, I would still be there every day, with open arms. Ready to love you, when you got back. You don't believe in me… you don't believe in anything, but I will never stop believing in you." with that comment left hanging in the air, she walked out the door, slamming it behind her and calling for the elevator by pressing the button.

Bruce sat back down on the stool. His brain had just taken a beating. He expected this to go much more smoothly than it did. Was she right? Was he the coward? Was he so afraid of losing her again that he was the one crippling her? She had just admitted once again that she loved him. And it was true, he loved her as well. He wanted to say it again. He wanted to tell her that he never knew what color looked like, what muscles contracted to make a smile, what warmth came with an embrace, and how lonely he truly was until she came along. His biggest fear now was that he would never see her smiling face again. He was selfish, but he didn't want to be. He wanted to share himself with her. So why was it so hard?

Chelsea returned home some time after. As she walked down the hallway to her apartment, one of her neighbors was bending down to get the newspaper. It was an older man. They had seen each other before in passing and would always greet each other. But with such a grim expression on her face the man couldn't help but comment, "I've never seen you so sad before, are you alright?"

Chelsea stopped and stared at him, "Not really…" she shrugged.

"The only time I ever see a young woman so tangled up is when she's upset over a man. Is your boyfriend giving you trouble?" he asked.

"No sir," she sighed, "he's not my boyfriend. Sometimes I wonder if he's even my friend…" Chelsea scratched at some of the chipping paint on the wall of the hallway.

"That's the anger talking." he reminded her, waving an index finger, "I can see it in your eyes. You love this boy, don't you?"

"I do," she nodded, "but it's not enough." she started for her door nearby and touched the doorknob, "Have a good evening Mr. Geller." she disappeared into the privacy of her apartment. Ripping off her jacket she threw it on the floor and kicked the waste basket as she walked by. Falling onto the couch she started to scream into one of the cushions. Slowly the scream transformed into a sob as she let loose the flood gates and started bawling like an infant. She hated herself for leaving it the way she did. Why was he so stubborn? She cried herself to sleep.

Her dreams echoed her words as Batman crept in through her window and told her how much he loved her. She surcummed to his lips, pulling the mask up to free his face from the cowl, all the while pulling him down onto the couch. She woke up in that moment when she heard a gun go off. Why did she hear a gunshot in her dream? As she pried herself up from the couch she looked out of the window. It was starting to grow dark outside. He would soon be out there, roaming the streets.

As she made her way down the street with her abused jacket on, she had a destination in mind. She was close. She didn't know what compelled her to come here, but she did. They had a name for this place: Crime Alley. It was the same alley she had been attacked in so many years ago, and also the place where Bruce's parents blood spilled across the pavement.

Chelsea walked into the darkness of the alley, still not sure why she was here. As she looked up one way and down the next, she watched it, almost like a movie play out in front of her. There she stood between young Bruce and his parents and the shadowy figure of a gunman as he pulled the trigger. A shiver went down her spine as she lowered herself to the ground and ran her fingers across the pavement.

She took a deep breath, "I'm not quite sure where you're buried. This was the closest place I could think of to reach you. I need help. I can only assume the life he leads was not what you wanted for your son." tears slid down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry. I know he lost you that day, but that day you also lost him. He means so much to me. Tell me how I can reach him. I need some guidance…"

A hand rested against her shoulder as she slowly lifted her head to look up into the shaded blue eyes of Batman. She slowly stood up, and started to speak when he covered her lips with his index finger, "Let me speak," he told her, "I'm not strong enough, Chelsea." He held her face in his hands, "I'm not strong enough to lose someone I love this much again. The idea of something happening to you scares me more than you could ever imagine. The idea that I could be the reason, startles me. And the idea of you not being in my life anymore scares me more than anything else."

"I'm not strong enough to handle that. You want me to tell the truth? The complete honest truth? From the moment I laid eyes on you, you struck a chord in me. A chord I have long since ignored, but you treated me like a person. No one has ever done that. Whether I'm Batman or otherwise. You made me feel loved. No matter what. When I was near you, I felt this overwhelming, blinding glare of love that I had never felt before. I felt like a spotlight had hit me and I wasn't ready for it. The absolute truth? I love you, Chelsea. I love you…" he admitted to her.

More tears came from her eyes, "I love you…" she said tilting her head, "no matter what. You might not believe that, but if you gave me half a chance, I could try to make you see it. You might fear the uncertain danger that could lurk if one ever found out about our relationship, but I know I'll be safest by your side."

He pulled her in tight, "I'm sorry I hurt you. It was wrong of me to do what I did… the decision is yours, but… I really would still like you to run that building for me… if you're interested."

She chuckled and pressed her face into his chest, "I'll do my best, boss."

"Come home... with me…" he murmured in her ear. His smooth voice still managed to make goosebumps flutter over her skin. Before she knew it, he had his arm around her and was grappling on top of the nearby building, his last thought, _"Thank you mother, father… for helping me find her."_

They arrived in the Bat Cave sometime later. Alfred was there to reassure Bruce Chelsea would come around, but when she popped out of the Batmobile, he realized he no longer had to console his master. Chelsea looked around amazed, "I think I'm living my childhood fantasy right now…" she admitted as she stepped out of the vehicle and started to walk around, spinning as she went to view everything. She spotted Alfred and greeted him with a smile, "Evening Alfred."

Alfred's eyes met with Bruce's as he removed his cowl and gave him a look. A smirk appeared on Alfred's face, "Good evening my dear."

Bruce moved passed Alfred, whispering something to him as he passed.

"How have your studies been?" Alfred started a conversation with her as he started to move to a monitor to clean it.

Chelsea raised an eyebrow with suspicion to Bruce as he disappeared upstairs, "Fine," she replied, "They've changed everything to email communication due to the devastating damage done on campus. I hope by next semester everything is back as it should be."

"You should be graduating soon am I correct?" Alfred asked.

"After next semester," she nodded.

"Congratulations," he smiled warmly. The lights started to flicker above them, "Blast. There's always something to be fixed around here. My work is never done." he turned to Chelsea, "Be a dear and ask Master Bruce to bring down a ladder."

She gave a head bob and started up the long stairway. When she was back on the ground floor, she heard the hum of music. She followed the sound as it grew louder. She stepped in to the familiar room where she first watched Gray Ghost with Bruce that night. He had _For Once in My Life _by Frank Sinatra playing on the sound system. It was the song she sang to him that night in the pool.

"What's this?" she asked breathlessly.

"Well," he said, guiding her over to the couch and taking a seat beside her, "I believe I'm on a date with my..." he'd never had to say this and mean it before. Her face immediately flushed when he finished, "girlfriend."

She looked embarrassed. That would take some getting used to for the both of them, "You're lucky you're so wonderful." he was so sneaky.

"I disagree," he said, holding her hands, "I have wealth, an impressive estate, and a splendid business, but none of that makes me lucky… I'm lucky because of this moment, right here."

"Bruce," she murmured.

"Don't you mean, _Mister_ Wayne?" he jabbed.

"Mister Wayne," she played along, as they leaned in to kiss.

His hands rested on her hips as they started to travel up, just barely under her shirt. He felt something that left him feeling hollow. He pulled away from her, to look at the scar from which the bullet entered her side.

"It doesn't hurt anymore," she reassured him.

He sighed, "It will always hurt me."

Her hands trembled as she touched his face, "For the first time I'm actually a little scared…"

"Why?" he wondered.

"Because I have everything I've ever sat and daydreamed about… that I never thought I would have. Everything that seemed like a distant cry from reality is now sitting in front of me looking into my eyes and I don't even know where to begin. I've never had this freedom with you. I've always had to hold back and now…" she ran her fingers through his hair. It was the same softness she had imagined, "what do I do?" she asked.

The corner of his lip curved upward, "You didn't know me until the Justice League. Sure, we met in passing once before that but-"

"That's all it took Bruce," she told him, "In passing, a glance, a handshake, a smile, and I knew not a moment would pass from then on that I wouldn't be in love with you."

He was touched. Pulling her close he examined all the shades of green in her eyes, "I've never been one to share anything with anyone. I couldn't, but you made it so easy, to see the man I could have been my whole life."

She shook her head, "The man you have always been." she corrected.

Author's Notes: This is Bruce's ending… Wally's Ending will quickly follow. I decided to leave it up to you readers who she ends up with. Once you've made a decision (some of you probably already have) on who you'd like to see expand on their relationship with her, leave a comment in the review section to let me know. Whoever is chosen will be her boyfriend in the next long expansion of the story where we'll explore the Justice League Unlimited universe and see how some things have changed. I have some cool ideas rattling around in my head for it, so as I said let me know readers! Also, if the one you wanted didn't get picked, don't fret. Depending on how the story molds, it might not necessarily be a permanent thing. We'll have to wait and see ;) Again, thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19: Wally West

Your Song

Wally West

(Wally's Ending)

It was late afternoon. Chelsea pulled herself away from one of her game stations to start closing the windows. After such a warm welcoming from spring a thunderstorm was rolling in. She stared out of the window of her apartment examining the dark, thick clouded sky above. She heard her door open, knowing who it was just from his entrance, "Hey beautiful!" Wally chimed, kicking the door closed with his foot as he set a pair of large paper bags down.

She approached him, inspecting what place he decided to stop at for food, "Hey Wal," she smiled, "you were feeling Chinese, huh?"

"You bet," he mirrored her smile and put his arm around her to hug her and plant a kiss on her forehead, "I got your usual, don't worry." He noticed her television had a retro game on the screen, "Started without me?"

"Just getting warmed up." she winked, "The princess can't be saved without the both of us." She grabbed some plates out of the cabinet and brought their food over to the coffee table, "What do you want to drink?" she asked, heading back to her small kitchen.

"Whatever you've got. I'm not picky." he replied, flopping down on the floor indian style beside the coffee table. He started to cake his plate with mounds of food. He only stopped momentarily to take a bottled water from Chelsea's outstretched arm. She sat down beside him and started fixing her own plate. It felt like ages since she had done this with Wally. _This_ being simply an evening of video games, movies, and take-out with her best friend. So many stressful things had been happening, but these were the moments she lived for. Wally made it so easy, "How's college going now that you have to do everything on the internet?" after the devastating damage that was inflicted on campus, it was estimated regular on-campus study wouldn't return until next semester; Chelsea's final semester before graduation.

"It's a bit difficult for us art majors. We have to turn in scans and photographs of our artwork which can really deplete the effort put into the pieces… but I guess it could be worse." Chelsea explained with a raise and lower of her shoulder. She looked over and noticed Wally had already finished his plate and had started gurgling his water down. Most girls might see it as a turn off, but Chelsea was always one to understand how Wally's metabolism worked. She started eating her rice with a fork and pulling apart crab ragoon with her fingers and popping the pieces into her mouth, "What were you up to today?"

"I took a day off." he told her, "It was way too beautiful outside at Central City to be bothered with responsibility. Perfect weather to go for a run." he stretched, "I was starving by the time I was on my way over here."

She couldn't help but smile, "Yeah I had the windows open and everything while I was painting earlier. The breeze felt nice. It's been a rough winter in Gotham." She wiped her hands with a napkin and turned to grab one of the game controllers, "Be my player two?"

His expression melted into such a loving one, "Always Chels." He grabbed the extra controller and before they knew it they were traveling through pipes and tossing turtle shells. Hours quickly passed. The sun disappeared over the horizon. There was a rumble warning Gotham of the coming thunderstorm.

While they were taking a break Chelsea went to the window to watch the rain pour over top of them, "Wally, I think you should crash here tonight. I don't want you going out in that mess."

Wally didn't mind that in the least bit, "Works for me." he said.

Chelsea sat down beside Wally on the couch. The thoughts that floated around in the back of her head still haunted her. What would he say, if she told him how she really felt? That for so long what felt like a close friendship, turned into so much more to her. Would he laugh? Think she was joking? One thing felt certain to her: when she did tell him, things would change, for the worse or for better. She hadn't realized it, but she was so lost in thought she was staring at Wally rather intensely.

He felt slightly uncomfortable, "Uh, Chels? I feel like I'm being interrogated by Bats over here. Are you okay?"

She blinked a couple of times, returning to the situation at hand, "Sorry. I guess I got lost in thought." She rubbed her forehead, trying to silence the oncoming headache, "Ready to get back in game?" she asked, trying to brush off the moment as she reached for her controller. Suddenly they were shrouded in darkness.

A black out?

"Is your mouth hanging open too?" asked Wally.

"...We didn't save…" Chelsea murmured, igniting her hand so she could see him. It was pitch black all around them. All that could be seen aside from Chelsea's lit fist was the flashing of lightning outside. Not only that, but their game progress was officially wiped because neither of them saved it.

"Dude, this blows…" sighed Wally, leaning back against the sofa.

Chelsea stood up and started walking around the room, lighting candles she had scattered about it. Once she was done, there was a little more light for them to see their surroundings. She brought a couple of the bigger ones closer and sat them on the coffee table. She wondered if Bruce was out in this terrible weather. Not much would stop him. She stared at the window, watching strands of water dance down the glass.

"Chels?" asked Wally.

She refocused, and turned to him, "Yeah?"

"You okay? You seem really… distracted." Wally wondered, standing up and coming toward her.

Thunder crashed above them, causing Chelsea to jump, "I'm alright. I just still have a lot on my mind, ya know?" she flickered him a grin, "Hang on." she told him and scurried off to her bedroom. Returning with a mound of blankets and pillows, she was still wearing the same big smile, "Ever make a fort before?" she asked.

His smile grew, "My forts usually had a_ no girls allowed _policy. I think I'll make an exception though." he winked at her.

"Go grab the dining table chairs," she told him. And like that they started to construct a fort in her living room. It was a little small, but they managed to both squeeze under it.

"I remember these being a lot bigger when I was a kid," he joked.

"Now we're just bigger kids with a little fort." she said, lying beside him. Her eye was drawn to a spot above Wally that had some light shining through, "Hang on a sec," she started to lean over him and adjust one of the blankets to get rid of the tiny window. All the while two very distinct things were right in Wally's face, "I'm sorry if this is uncomfortable. The blanket is being difficult." she explained, trying to pull on the blanket some.

Wally couldn't help, but stare. He had no choice. He was being pinned down by the very girl of his dreams and what's more her chest was right in his face, "Take your time…" he squeaked. She had it fixed after a couple of seconds and laid back down beside him. It was just light enough for them to make out the obvious details in each other's faces. Wally lay on his side with his head on his hand, his elbow resting on the ground. Chelsea stared up at him thoughtfully, "Want to talk about what's on your mind?" he asked.

She shook her head slightly, "Just… stuff." she shrugged. He looked at her with concern. She remembered how upset he got the last time she didn't talk to him about things that bothered her. Was now the right time? Thunder boomed above them again and on an act of instinct her body snuggled closer to his, "There's been a lot of things I've been conflicted with…" she started to explain, "Eventually I have to decide which way I want to go." she looked up at him admiring the emerald glimmer in his eyes. Her eyes looked back and forth between his, "Wally…" she leaned in closer, "kiss me."

"What?" he choked.

"Kiss me," she replied.

It had been some time since he felt his lips against hers. They were so soft and gentle. He had a hard time keeping his composure whenever he got these rare moments of intimacy with her, but she had never ordered such a thing from him. And now, so suddenly, she requested this exchange. It felt so familiar, like this was how they had always been, and yet it was so new all at the same time. He got a little carried away as he rolled over onto her slightly, cradling her head with his hand, and deepening their kiss. She put her hand against the side of his head, running her fingers through his soft ginger hair. In a single instant, Wally realized this rush of emotions, and did his best to keep it from going too far. Releasing her lips, he stared down at her, gauging her response.

He squinted at her in the dimly lit fort they had created, "Talk to me… say something…" he was nearly begging, "I don't understand what-" he started to say, but didn't know where he was going with it. He was so jumbled up suddenly. He was so sure he was okay with the idea that he was still runner up in her heart. That Bruce was the man she had always dreamed of. Now, what was happening?

"Wally…" Chelsea spoke quietly, nearly in a whisper, "I've been trying to find the right way to tell you… but I was afraid I'd lose the one person I realized long ago I could not live without." her eyes shined with emotion, "I love you… the kind of love that I can see myself spend the rest of my Friday nights snuggled up beside you, building goofy forts and having tickle fights… the kind of love where losing your breath while kissing is more important than oxygen itself." she was trembling, afraid at any moment he might turn away from her, "I was so afraid to tell you that I tried to talk myself out of any possibility of you and I… I don't wanna lose my best friend…" a stray tear escaped her eye, "they say your soulmate doesn't have to be a partner or a lover… and for me my soulmate is my best friend…" her lower lip quivered as she slightly shook her head, "Because you are my partner… my best friend… my soulmate." She tried to smile through her fear.

Wally's heart dropped. His mouth twitched into a slight smile as he tried to find the words. He laughed through his nose and rested his forehead against hers, "How could you have any doubt, Chels?" he lowered his voice, his lips grazing hers, "I've been in love with you since the moment you took my hand… the moment you kissed my lips… the moment you became my best friend… I've fallen in love with you over and over again… you mean, that much." he planted a quick kiss on her lips, and then kissed her again, running his hands through her long hair, "Nothing has mattered more to me than the moments I've gotten to spend with you. God," he shook head, "You're my number one girl, Chels." he repeated from one of the first times they had sat across from each other at the diner, "You've always been my one and only."

She took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She was still shaking in fear. He slowly let his body rest against hers as he pulled her in tight, enjoying the feeling he never thought he'd ever have. Chelsea used one of her hands to pull a blanket over them, and looked up into his eyes.

He wanted to kiss her, the way he always dreamed of doing, but he didn't want to do too much too quickly. She was worth the wait. Instead he recalled what she had said and decided to make light of the mood, "Tell me something… when did we ever have a tickle fight?" he wondered with a raised eyebrow.

Her eyes widened, "Wally… don't... you… dare."

His smile grew as he started tickling her, using his super speed as a way to overwhelm her. She was laughing so hard and rolling around to the point that when her tears returned, it was purely out of laughter. When he finally allowed her to breathe, he leaned over her once more, "Is this where the kiss means more than breathing?" he wondered.

"Could be," she teased, still breathing deeply.

"I hope so," he admitted, leaning in to steal her lips once more.

Author's Notes: And here is Wally's ending. Not as long as Bruce's, but still just as heartfelt I think. As stated in the previous chapter, leave your comments and votes in the review section. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me through this story. I thoroughly enjoy writing it and can't wait to see where the next part of it takes us. :)


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